A Moral Crisis in Africa

FOR THE PAST year, life in the Central African Republic has been steadily spinning out of control.

Since the Seleka—or “alliance”—rebellion overturned the government in March 2013, there has been widespread insecurity and chaos. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has called the situation a "mega-crisis."

Though the rebel movement began as a coalition of 5,000 fighters from a few rebel groups, it is now thought to have increased to 20,000, and there are credible reports that as many as 6,000 youth have been recruited into violent movements. Since December, at least 2,000 people have been killed and more than 700,000 displaced. And now there are legitimate fears of ethnic and religious “cleansing.”

To say that this conflict is about religion is a simplistic narrative. Yes, right now people are banding together with others who are like them—Christians with Christians and Muslims with Muslims. But for more than 50 years prior to the conflict, Christians and Muslims in the Central African Republic (CAR) coexisted in relative peace. From the beginning of the conflict, there were political and regional forces at work, and the Seleka forces happen to be primarily Muslim. And in retaliation for the violence and fear that came with the rebellion and the mostly untrained and loosely organized rebel fighters, fighters who happened to be Christian formed the anti-Balaka (“anti-machete”) militias. These fighters, most would agree, are not the best representatives of either faith, but they have taken over the narrative, and it is the civilians—many families and children—who suffer.

As a Christian, I grieve over the unspeakable violence wrongly done in the name of faith by these men and women—on both sides. And I mourn with the thousands who have been driven from their homes, lost their lives, or felt compelled to take up arms out of fear.

But as I’ve learned from humanitarians on the ground dealing with the crisis, this is more complicated than a “Christian vs. Muslim” conflict. According to Thomas Paul Banze, Search for Common Ground’s country director in CAR, “The Central African crisis is, at its core, a political crisis at the national and regional level. The religious conflict remains a pseudo-conflict, a secondary conflict.” Banze continued, “In other words, it is the weakest of the issues at stake, but yet the most explosive. Religious leaders are doing their best to support their flocks and encourage forgiveness, but the political aspects remain unresolved.”

RELIGION HAS PLAYED two different roles in the conflict. After the instability and violence that rocked the country, faith offered a way for people to interpret their experiences and find comfort through biblical, Quranic, or other faith-based lenses. Unfortunately, it is very easy for scripture to be misused—with disastrous consequences. And it seems that in this highly charged and dangerous climate, violent actors are gathering under a Christian banner and claiming religious authority.

And in response, Muslim civilians are evacuating the country, a de facto ethnic cleansing. This displacement adds to the political and economic instability in the country as Muslim civilians play an important role in CAR’s economy.

The situation has the potential to become a humanitarian and political catastrophe in the northern part of the country, southern Chad, and along the border. And the conflict is creating an opportunity for further radicalization by regional opportunists and armed groups.

But religion is also playing a role in quelling the conflict. The head imam, the Catholic archbishop, and the head of the Protestant church in CAR have banded together in a show of unity to call for an end to the violence. These faith leaders are refusing to allow those perpetuating violence in the name of Islam or Christianity to represent their religions in this conflict. They are calling their flocks to seek the common good beyond religious divides and are working to keep fear and religious differences from changing the narrative from what they know to be true of their faiths and best values.

“The international community—including the faith community—failed to heed the repeated warning signs of a civilian protection crisis of epic proportions in the Central African Republic,” explained Diane Randall, executive secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, one of the groups spearheading advocacy efforts here in the U.S. “It must not hesitate any longer.”

This conflict will not be solved solely by faith leaders calling for peace, since it is not just about religion. Instead, it will require a commitment on the part of international groups who can bring stability to the region and restore order. And it will require all of the actors involved to look beyond the convenient narratives to the harder work of sorting out a lasting peace.