Women of the country said: We have had enough of hostilities between men. A female leader would be less violent, less aggressive, less hungry for pow… - Catherine Samba-Panza

If I had acted like a head of state, that would have never worked

I call on my children, especially the anti-balaka, to put down their arms and stop all the fighting. The same goes for the ex-Seleka - they should not have fear. I don't want to hear any more talk of murders and killings. Starting today, I am the president of all Central Africans, without exclusion.

Samba-Panza became the first female president of her country, and one of the few on the continent. Women were overjoyed, both on the streets of Bangui and in the parliament that had elected her. Her gender was decisive to her political rise,