Lidjombo | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 2°42′8″N 16°6′2″E / 2.70222°N 16.10056°E | |
Country | Central African Republic |
Prefecture | Sangha-Mbaéré |
Sub-prefecture | Bayanga |
Commune | Yobe-Sangha |
Area | |
• Total | 2.9 sq mi (7.6 km2) |
Population (2021) | |
• Total | 971[1] |
Lidjombo, also spelled Lindjombo, is a village located in the southern prefecture of Sangha-Mbaéré, Central African Republic. It is situated within the Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve.
In the past, the villagers heavily relied on coffee farming and logging for their livelihood. However, those two sectors ended their operations 1980s, making Lidjombo declared a "dead town."[2][3]
The name of the village originated from a name of fish, Jombo, that was ubiquitous across Sangha River when the village was established.[4]
Some people who did not like to work at the coffee plantation in Mompagana moved from the village and founded a settlement named Lidjombo in 1919.[4] In the mid-1920s, Santini and Lopez built coffee plantations in the village, drawing many Mpiemu, Gbaya, and Baka to dwell in the village.[5][6]
Around the mid-50s, Lidjombo faced a coffee boom and it attracted many people to migrate to the village because of the good salary.[6][7] However, the coffee production ceased operation in 1981 after the owner left the village. As a result, the coffee farm is covered by vines.[8][2] Nevertheless, as of 1988, the former coffee plantation workers remained in Lidjombo.[9]
In April 2013, Front pour la Libération et l'Indépendance de la Sangha-Mbaéré (FLISM) controlled Lidjombo.[10]
Lidjombo is a multi-ethnic settlement. Various ethnic groups, which are Sangha Sangha, Mpiemo, Mbaya, Kaké, Manja, Gbaka, Banda, Bossa-Goma, and Baka people inhabit the village.[4]
The villagers depend on several sectors for their livelihood, such as farming, hunting, gathering, distilling local alcohol, and commerce.[4]
The village has one primary school.[4]
Lidjombo has one health post.[11]
The village's security is served by a police post and a national Gendarme Brigade office.[4]
In 1976 a logging company, Slovenia-Bois, built a road connecting the Lidjombo to the rest of the country, thus freeing the village from isolation.[12]