Community Violence Reduction Pilot Project in Paoua

Start & End Date: 2016-2018

Country/Countries: Central African Republic

Multilateral Institution(s) Involved: International Organization for Migration, United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office

The civil war in the Central African Republic started in 2013. MINUSCA was mandaed in 2014 and in 2015 an agreement on a "Rebulican Pact for Peace, National Reconciliation and Reconstruction" was brought about. Nine armed groups signed the "Agreement on DDR principles". Community violence reduction (CVR) is a crititcal component of the national DDR programme since approximately 60,000 individuals, part if tge abtu-Balaka movement and other armed groups, will not be eligible for the national DDR programme but still pose a serious security threat to the civilian population. The project targets hot-spot locations in the north-western part of the country, where most of the anti-Balaka and 'self-defence' groups are situated and community violence is particularly severe.

The Community Violence Reduction (CVR) pilot project is targeting 10 hotspot locations in the northwestern part of the Central African Republic (CAR), the sous prefecture of Paoua, where there is a strong presence of Anti-Balaka and ‘self-defence’ groups and community violence is particularly severe. Implemented by IOM, supervised by MINUSCA-DDR, and supported by the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), the project provides support to armed group elements not eligible for the national DDR programme, as well as vulnerable people in the concerned communities. The project’s general objective is to improve security at the local level, through the economic and social reinsertion of violence-prone armed groups’ elements non-eligible for the national DDR programme and community dialogue mechanisms in hotspots areas playing a stronger and positive role in the prevention of violence at the local level.

The project has had a stabilising effect on the 10 targeted communities, with increased security, reduced violent incidents and perceived increase in peaceful coexistence. Fewer arms circulate in the communities and a large percentage of the armed people not eligible for DDR have reduced violent and illegal activities and started to engage in productive activities. People also express that due to this improved security they have restarted farming. Further, the roads repaired have a direct impact on mobility and related trade and commerce, which has led to an overall improvement of the economic situation of the community as a whole.