Moussa is a young commerçant, or trader, in Bangui’s cinq kilo district, where he sells furniture and mattresses at the market. He’s also the President of a local peace committee, established with the support of Conciliation Resources and now well known for its peacebuilding activities, especially with local young people.
Bangui has been engulfed by inter-communal violence during the last two years; even now many local cinq kilo residents say they cannot leave the district for fear of reprisal attacks from neighbouring communities.
Political violence has shattered community relationships across the Central African Republic (CAR). But local leaders like Moussa are working to rebuild trust between communities, and making a real difference.
Becoming a peace leader
When the ex-Seleka rebel coalition seized control of CAR two years ago, in March 2013, Moussa was working for a humanitarian organisation. He joined Seleka, because, he says, it was the best way of protecting his organisation.
I soon became the spokesman for a senior Seleka General. But then, when I saw Seleka pillaging local homes, and torturing local people. I couldn’t tolerate it. I knew this violence, if it continued, would lead to a great war in my country…
Moussa took the decision to leave Seleka, he then witnessed CAR’s devastating descent into bloody inter-communal violence, including attacks and reprisals between Muslims and Christians. Moussa knew he had to act, to help his family and his community.
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Peace is the only way forward
In 2014, Moussa began meeting with a group of local young men, talking about how they could start building peace together. A local contact introduced him to Conciliation Resources, and with our support he established a local peace committee of 12 young people, all from cinq kilo.
We trust Conciliation Resources because they were with us at the beginning, during the most difficult moments. When no-one else from outside [cinq kilo] would visit us, and the market was deserted, Conciliation Resources was there beside us – just when we most needed their support.
The cinq kilo peace committee identified their own training needs, and Conciliation Resources brought in experienced local trainers to strengthen their peacebuilding capacities.
Building peace from the heart of communities
The committee is now successfully launching its own local initiatives. These include: organising football matches for youth from different local neighbourhoods; holding local dialogues when tensions rise between individuals or groups, and raising awareness among young people of the value of peacebuilding in order bring security to their families and revive the local economy.
Today Bangui is calmer, though still volatile, and the market in cinq kilo is reviving and trading once more.
This [peace] process will take a long time. We need support now more than ever, because this is a long-term process and we are just at the beginning. But we are capable of bringing peace here; our committee will not stop working until we have peace across all our communities.