Different stakeholders have made several attempts at reconciling CAR's estranged population.
The need for reconciliation among the people of the Central African Republic, CAR, is today more pressing than ever before. After one and half years of the latest in the nation's chequered history of bloodletting, the desire for peace and reconciliation is increasingly gaining currency among the wide spectrum of the population and the transitional administration of President Catherine Samba-Panza.
As a result, several attempts have been made by various stakeholders to instill understanding among the people, who until 18 months ago, lived in relative harmony, in spite of religious and ethnic differences.
National Reconciliation Conference:
A panel of 30 experts and opinion leaders inaugurated by President Samba-Panza to fashion out a road map for the proposed national reconciliation concluded its work on Thursday, June 12, 2014, after three days of sitting in the capital, Bangui. Speaking at the opening, the Head of State said: "Only true and sincere dialogue that handles all issues without excluding any citizen can restore peace and security." She added that "Only the fight against bad governance, injustice and impunity, can help the country come out completely and permanently from recurrent crises that have held it down."
Tackling Impunity:
In order not to overlook the abuses of the recent past, the CAR government on June 10, 2014, formally requested the International Criminal Court, ICC, based in The Hague, The Netherlands, to investigate possible crimes against humanity and other abuses committed in the country since August 2012. The Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals, Isabelle Gaudeuille, who made the application, explained that the people were yearning for justice in the face of apparent impunity.
The move came as a preliminary United Nations report released last week expressed serious concerns about the recent restructuring of the defunct Séléka rebel coalition. During a congress in the northeastern town of Ndélé from May 8-9, 2014, the rebels created a new high command and security forces to take charge of that part of the country. The UN said the move was tantamount to setting up a rival government in the north, thereby partitioning the country. It warned that the roadmap from the Ndélé gathering clearly outlined steps that were nothing short of breaking up the country.
Efforts By Clerics:
In order not to let the situation in their country get out of hand, CAR's Christian and Moslem leaders have been harping on the need for peace and reconciliation among the people long antagonised by the ongoing sectarian conflict. Its impact has been mass displacements of people, resulting in the creation of Moslem and Christian enclaves in the north and south of the country respectively. In the past, Moslems and Christians celebrated Christmas together. They joined in Assumption Day processions and also shared their Eid feasts with their Christian neighbours.
The country's Moslem and Christian clerics have in recent months toured the country to preach reconciliation. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bangui, Dieudonné Nzapalainga, the head of the Central African Republic Islamic Conference, Imam Omar Kobine Layama and Elim Bangui-M'Poko, who represents the Protestant church, have been described as "the three saints of Bangui." Nzapalainga and Layama have also made foreign trips to Europe and the United States to explain the situation back home and drum up support for a UN peacekeeping force to bolster French and African Union troops on the ground.
When Christian anti-Balaka militiamen attacked Bangui in December 2013, Archbishop Nzapalainga telephoned Imam Omar to say he was sending African Union peacekeepers to fetch him. The Imam and family still live with the Archbishop, along with three other Moslem families from the provincial town of Bossembele.
Charities, UN Get Involved:
The charity, CCFD-Terre Solidaire, is sponsoring a 50,000-Euro (about FCFA 33 million) project for CAR refugees in neighbouring Chad and Cameroon. Launched in 2012 in Chad, CAR, Sudan and South Sudan, the aim is to support the efforts of the civil society in reconciling the people by consolidating links between Christians and Moslems. The main target of the project is Fulani herdsmen.
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the Central African Republic, Babacar Gaye, has also been encouraging the people to support national reconciliation efforts and the consolidation of the rule of law in order to live in harmony. Meanwhile, the UN and European Union, EU, are also sponsoring efforts to promote reconciliation between Christians and Moslems. Addressing some village reconciliation committees recently, a UN diplomat urged them to learn to get on with one another again, whether they share the same religion or not. The official admitted that ethnic, religious and political differences can however act as stimulus for peace.
