The meeting was convened by the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers, the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID), the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, which have joined forces to develop a long-term initiative to support the involvement of religious leaders in the process of national reconciliation in CAR.
Moderating the session, KAICIID Senior Adviser Mohammed Abu-Nimer stressed that without cooperation, the future of the country is at stake: “Allowing disagreements and past issues to hinder progress means failure for this reconciliation process. Until the religious communities in CAR can overcome their differences, both within and among the groups, no progress can be made. This is not easy, but it must be done, and done in a dialogical way.”
The conflict in the Central African Republic has killed thousands and left hundreds of thousands homeless. Despite a ceasefire concluded in July 2014, violence, widespread poverty, and displacement continue to be problems.
But a reconciliation process is underway: the Bangui Forum in May 2015 brought together nearly 700 leaders to define their collective vision for the country’s future. The participants represented diverse groups within the CAR’s society, including the transitional government, national political parties, the main opposing armed groups (the Séléka and anti-Balaka), the private sector, civil society, traditional chiefs, and religious groups. One of the recommendations of the Forum is to strengthen the role of religious leaders in the reconciliation process.
In addition to promoting inter-religious cohesion, intra-religious cohesion continues to be a challenge in the ethnically and religiously diverse country. Issues of national and ethnic identity and citizenship complicate the religious leadership’s attempts to forge a united way forward.
The meeting of August 27 aimed to strengthen the Islamic community in the Central African Republic through dialogue, and to assist their efforts to forge a unified voice and vision for the Islamic community in CAR.
The group made preparations for an Intra-Muslim Conference later in the fall, where participants will discuss issues concerning Muslim citizenship and identity and how these issues can be addressed within the larger framework of national reconciliation.