In the Central African Republic, the attempted coup d’etat in May last year further weakened the already vulnerable independent press. The distribution system has became close to non-existent, limiting the spread and the development of newspapers and magazines.

Patrick Bakwa is the editor of Le Confident, one of thee two dailies in this country with a population of 3,5 million people.

"The newspaper distribution is catastrophic in the Central African Republic. The only place where you can actually find newspapers is in Bangui, the capital. And not even here is it possible to find them everywhere. There are only three places in the city where you can buy newspapers. The people have to come into the city in order to get one. In the provinces it is even more difficult to find newspapers. The people living there will see a newspaper only when somebody coming from the capital brings one with him. There are no newspaper agencies in the provinces, no local correspondents."

However, for Mr Bakwa there is both will and room for change. But the current political situation in the Central African Republic prevents any development.

"There are international NGOs that have development plans ready for the independent press, but because of the volatile political situation they are not ready to start implementing them. They want a more stable political situation. This also shows how big and delicate the problem is: We are talking about a general situation that prevents any development; we are talking about the general socio-economical situation of the country, which is too unsure."

Mr Bakwa points out that his newspaper would be very interested in creating a functioning distribution system in the country. However, without any support from the international community and with a government which is rather hostile to any development of the independent press, there is not much they can do.

"At least we have a newsroom at Le Confident, which is more than most of the country’s newspapers and magazines. And we have subscribers and regular buyers. We manage to print the paper every day. Other newspapers in the Central African Republic publish only when they get an advertisement that allows them to pay for the printing. Furthermore, the working conditions of journalists are very difficult. There is a general crisis between the government and the independent press. And the situation is only getting worse."

This is illustrated by the fact that the circulation of Le Confident has decreased from 3,500 to 500 copies over the last year.

"People do not get their salaries any more so they cannot buy the newspaper. Nobody travels anywhere, so they do not bring the newspaper with them. When somebody has to choose between eating or buying the paper, the choice is easy, however good the newspaper is."