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Central African Republic Sees Major Progress on Disarmament and Reintegration of Former Fighters

By
Tara Abhasakun
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3R fighters in Koui in 2017, photo by UN Security Council via Wikipedia.

In the Central African Republic (CAR), armed groups have perpetrated violence and human rights abuses. Armed conflict had internally displaced 451,000 people, with 750,000 people made refugees in neighboring countries, as of June 2024. Much of the violence has been caused by the Central African Republic Civil War which broke out in 2012 involving various rebel groups.

The CAR government, along with the UN, had been working to disarm former combatants. On July 10, 2025 two major armed groups, the Unity for Peace in Central Africa (UPC) and Return, Claim, Rehabilitation (3R), dissolved in the country’s capital city of Bangui following a peace agreement signed on April 19 between the two groups and the CAR government. 

The CAR government and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) have since made major progress on disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, and repatriation (DDRR) programs in a few different areas of the country. Hundreds of former combatants from the village of Maloum and the sub-prefecture of Koui have been disarmed. 

Former fighter Abdoulay Atair, from Maloum, told adf, “I joined the rebellion in Bambari in 2014 to protect ourselves, defend our property and ensure the safety of our families. But thanks to the agreement signed with the government, we have made a commitment to lay down our arms and actively contribute to building peace.”

Similarly, the operations in Koui, launched on July 18, The CAR government disarmed 75 fighters with the support of MINUSCA’s technical, logistical, and security assistance. The aim is to disarm approximately 300 ex-combatants from 3R, with efforts reinforced by local authorities actively involved in the process. Jonas Bissakounou, the leader of the government’s team in Koui, called on armed groups to come out of the bush and join the peace process, Barlaman Today reported.

Community engagement and local authority involvement are integral to the success of these programs. As noted by Koui’s sub-prefect, Lary-Nouradine Mahalba, strong local participation helps ensure the stability of the disarmament and reintegration initiatives. He stated that local authorities were “making sure this process, which is vital for peace, doesn’t collapse.”

Former combatants have gone through several key stages of the DDRR process, including handing over weapons, medical examinations, psycho-social support, identification, and remuneration. Only those who meet eligibility criteria will be integrated into CAR’s defense and security forces, or reintegrated into socio-economic activities. Ex-combatants who don’t meet eligibility requirements will benefit from the community violence reduction program, which provides vocational training and livelihood support. 

The CAR government officially established its DDRR in December 2018, and adf reports that the total number of disarmed combatants stands at 5,540, with a target of 7,000 combatants from the 14 armed groups that signed the 2019 peace agreement.

In February 2025, Peace News Network (PNN) published an article about CAR’s failed journey towards truth and justice. CAR, Robert Kosho Ndiyun wrote, has been marked by a tumultuous and unstable trajectory since gaining independence in 1960. The CAR population has long had the unquenched thirst to know the truth about the legacies of human rights abuses perpetrated in the numerous coups and enduring cycles of violence in the country. 

To come to terms with historical injustices and atrocities, the country has integrated truth-seeking in its transitional justice process. The first truth-seeking attempt in the CAR came in 2003 after two decades of successive politico-military violence between 1995 and 2003, with the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The second and most recent structure, the Truth, Justice, Reparation, and Reconciliation Commission (TJRRC), was created in 2020. To learn more about these efforts, read here.

Keywords: Central African Republic, CAR, Africa, disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, repatriation, DDRR, peace, conflict, conflict resolution

This Week in Peace #98: September 12

By
Tara Abhasakun
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Poipet, a Cambodian city located on the Thailand-Cambodia border, photo by Anilakeo via Wikipedia.

This week, Thailand and Cambodia reach agreements on some key issues. Trump releases ‘latest warning’ for Hamas to agree to ceasefire. Aid workers targeted in South Sudan.

Thailand and Cambodia Reach Agreements on Some Key Issues

Despite the recent escalations between the two countries, Thailand and Cambodia have reached agreements on some key issues including security, landmine removal, and fighting online crime, Nation Thailand reported. 

A Thai delegation attended a meeting in Cambodia’s Koh Kong province on September 10, where the two nations agreed on five important measures. The first is Demilitarisation of the border, with international observers overseeing the withdrawal of heavy weapons and military equipment. The second is mine-clearance, with a joint coordination group set up along the border. The third is combatting online crime, with both sides’ authorities discussing actions against online scammers and scam centers. The fourth is border management, with a working group cordinating with local authorities from both countries to manage the area peacefully. The fifth is facilitating cross-border trade, with both countries discussing relaxing restrictions on certain border crossings and trade points.

This development comes after last week, Thailand  approved plans to build a 16-kilometer fence along the disputed border with Cambodia. Thai and Cambodian activists are calling for peace and solidarity between the people of both countries, particularly migrant workers. Read more here.

Trump Releases ‘Latest Warning’ for Hamas to Agree to Ceasefire

On September 7, US President Donald Trump released what he described as his “latest warning” to Hamas to agree to a ceasefire deal to release hostages from Gaza. Trump stressed that there would not be another warning, and said, “The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well.”

Hamas responded by saying that it received some ideas from the US side through mediators to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza, and that it was discussing how to develop those ideas, although the group did not provide details, Reuters reported. Hamas said that it was ready for negotiations to release all hostages in exchange for “clear announcement of an end to the war” and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the strip.

Last week in Jerusalem, Israelis protested for an end to the war in Gaza, and a return of the hostages. Protesters gathered on the night of September 3 for a ‘Day of Disruption,’ calling on the government to bring back the 48 hostages still being held in Gaza. One mother of a hostage said that decision makers  “are betraying the army, are sending soldiers to fight and die.” Read more here.

Aid Workers Targeted in South Sudan

Aid workers have become targets of abductions in South Sudan. Two humanitarian officials from international groups told The Associated Press the number of aid workers kidnapped  in the country has more than doubled this year, with over 30 South Sudanese aid workers kidnapped. 

Sources said that although many aid workers were released on ransom payments, one aid worker died in captivity in early September, 2025. Daniel Akech, a South Sudan expert with the International Crisis Group, said the “biggest fear” is that kidnappings of aid workers could become a “countrywide issue.”

Ferenc Marko, an expert on South Sudan, said that abductions for political reasons, such as forced military conscriptions, have been done for years, however, ransom kidnappings are new.

Conflict is returning to South Sudan, chipping away at the country’s fragile peace. Amnesty International on May 28 reported that violence had killed 180 people between March and mid-April amid deepening divisions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar. South Sudan experienced a civil war in 2013 between the two, which killed over 400,000 people.

Keywords: Thailand, Cambodia, Gaza, Israel, Palestine, Hamas, Trump, ceasefire, South Sudan, aid workers, peace, conflict, conflict resolution

Recognising Women’s Resources for Building Peace in a Conflict-Torn South African Village

By
Dizline Mfanozelwe Shozi and Crispin Hemson
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Women presenting at a workshop in the village, photo via author Crispin Hemson.

For many decades, the rural community of Njobokazi, located at the outskirts of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, has been the scene of violent conflict between local factions. Many people have been killed and many houses and community assets destroyed. While most people killed were the men who fought—including those from the family of Mfanozelwe Shozi, one of the authors of this article—less attention has been paid to the role of women, both as victims of violence and as peacebuilders.

Much of the violence has been driven by a conquest mentality, informed by ubunsizwa, an aggressive form of masculinity in which the winning faction is not satisfied with defeating their opponents but instead drives them out of the village altogether, fearing that they might regroup, strategize and attack to regain the area. This leaves the victim’s families, some now headed by women, in a very vulnerable position. 

The basis for the conflict has varied over the years, sometimes being conflict over land, over which group had power and financial resources, or in more recent times political differences. A further trigger for violence has been men’s competition over women. 

Women play a central role in the early socialisation of boys into gender roles, with women collecting wood and water and taking care of cooking and cleaning, while men take cattle out, go hunting, and later find jobs in town. A key element in the perpetuation of violence has been how men and older boys socialise boys to be aggressive, starting with stick fighting in which defeat is reviled. They are then recruited into attacks as part of an impi, an armed group. In recent years, people in Njobokazi have hired hitmen to resolve conflicts in business and politics.

Shozi’s doctoral study used action research in the years 2020 to 2021, with the aim of building peace in Njobokazi. This process involved traditional community meetings, with women sitting separately from men and with the voices of men dominant.

Women were resilient, but tended to underplay both their sufferings. Some women lost husbands or sons, observed their children not going to school, lost property, and sometimes were humiliated by men from enemy factions. A limitation of the research was the difficulty in getting information on sexual violence, given the stigma against speaking about it; evidence from other studies shows that this is a major element of war.

While war imposed a heavy burden on women, women took on leadership roles during this time, including in peacebuilding. In the absence of men, women would take over such responsibilities as herding and milking cattle. If negotiations failed and their faction lost, women would decide to leave the area, with men following them. When they were out of the area, they participated in discussions that brought people together to talk and find a solution to the problem.

Under official battle rules, women were not allowed to be the main targets of attacks, so in one incident a woman saved her husband’s life by throwing herself over him during an attack. 

Women intervened through their relationships with men to argue for peace. As one woman said, “…we would in our corners confide to our husbands and boyfriends that they must stop fighting, but men would never listen.” They would also speak directly to fathers, brothers and sons. In negotiations to end fighting, since women did not engage in direct combat they were central to peace processes. For example, women played a role in delivering messages to the opposite side. 

The action research involved, first, workshops to recognise the impact of the violence and to map both the drivers of violence and the incidents that would trigger war. This led to community workshops that developed ways of building peace, drawing on two well-known peace initiatives: the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), an organisation that supports facilitators of such workshops, and the Institute for the Healing of Memories, established to heal the scars of violence and oppression. In addition, there was a major cleansing ceremony that drew on traditional rituals and animal sacrifice. 

Traditional Mseleku clearnsing ceremony, photo via author Crispin Hemson.

As a result of these interventions, an organization was formed in the area which assisted with psycho-social support to women, and the community started building a strong relationship with the local office of social development. As of 2025, there has been no return to fighting. 

Workshop with participants, photo via author Crispin Hemson.

The research project did not start with a focus on the role of women, but led to a realization of the resources for peace that women hold, and the need to develop those resources to build lasting peace.

Keywords: South Africa, Njobokazi, KwaZulu-Natal province, eThekwini Metropolitan municipality, village conflict, conflict resolution, peace, South African

What Does Peace Journalism Mean to Peace Journalists in East Africa?

By
Meagan Doll
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Man sitting on grass while taking photo in Kampala, Uganda, photo by Morritz 95 via Pexels.

Against the backdrop of several protracted conflicts worldwide— such as South Sudan, Ukraine, and Gaza, among others—conflict reporting is top of mind for media professionals and peacekeepers alike. After all, journalism has long been celebrated for its ability to reveal hidden truths, hold power to account, and tell stories in the public interest. Despite these promises, however, existing research on the role of news during conflict paints a less encouraging picture. The lion’s share of work demonstrates that such reporting tends to be inflammatory and overly sensational, at times resulting in increased cynicism and negative sentiments toward marginalized groups. 

Some have proposed peace journalism as an alternative reporting approach. Developed by Norwegian sociologist and peace researcher Johan Galtung, peace journalism focuses on structural causes of conflict, multiparty interactions, and opportunities for peacemaking through careful attention to word choice and broad framing narratives. Of course, such emphases are not typically communicated uniformly through journalism education nor necessarily picked up on the job. Instead, principles of peace journalism are often delivered to media professionals through specialized trainings or workshops, many of which are hosted in and across East Africa. But what do journalists who attend these trainings get out of them, and what are the implications of this for conflict reporting?

With respect to what peace journalism means to peace journalists in East Africa, the quick answer is: It depends.  An interview-based study of practitioners who attended peace journalism trainings in Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda revealed that journalists tended to understand peace journalism in one of two ways—either as more focused on communities impacted by conflict, or on policies to address conflict—and that these perceptions varied based on the precarity of one’s professional position. For example, entry-level journalists or reporters working in remote areas with relatively few resources were more likely to emphasize aspects of peace journalism concerned with victims of violence and reconciliation framing. In contrast, more established media professionals and those working in larger, well-resourced organizations tended to focus on policy recommendations for elite audiences, including third-party interventions. 

What do these different perceptions of peace journalism mean for conflict reporting and peacekeeping? First, it is worth acknowledging that peace journalism is comprised of more than a dozen popularly recognized practices, and varied interpretations should not only be acknowledged but perhaps expected.  Policy solutions and community impact both contribute to peace journalism storytelling, and one is not necessarily superior to the other. Instead, these different understandings make clear the need for trainings and guidelines that take journalists’ professional constraints into consideration. The most suitable or effective conflict reporting workshops, for instance, should tailor content for the type of positions media professionals occupy, acknowledging the different realities of such work. This might entail, for example, peace journalism workshops focused on editing for supervisors who primarily oversee the work of others, whereas journalists in the field would benefit from more tangible peace journalism tools, such as safety guides or interview training. Such considerations can be expanded to include journalists’ social and cultural identities, where certain practices may take on new meaning or challenges for women or within certain religious environments. 

With respect to implications for peacekeeping more broadly, variability in journalists’ understandings of peace journalism underscores a fundamental truth in peace studies and conflict response: Journalism is just one piece of the puzzle. Actors from many sectors must be committed to non-violence and justice on the long road to lasting and transformational peace. Some have critiqued the practice of peace journalism based on the misunderstanding that news media can, or should, bear responsibility for addressing conflict alone. The fluidity in journalists’ understandings of and engagement with peace journalism thus serves as a reminder that we shouldn’t essentialize peace journalism as a silver bullet solution that alone can bring about peace or end conflicts. 

Journalism’s first responsibility in any society to inform—not to engage in complex political negotiations or develop peace plans—even while the ways that media professionals report on these topics can certainly shape how audiences perceive their value and viability. 

To this point, the diversity in perceptions and experiences that journalists bring to conflict reporting should not be taken as an obstacle to comprehensive or ethical peace journalism. Rather, such perspectives can be harnessed to report stories from a variety of angles and vantage points, which together aid peacekeeping forces, public officials, and multilateral organizations in imagining creative solutions toward conflict resolutions. Taken to the extreme, for as many journalists as there are reporting on a given conflict, just as many unique stories and frames can be produced in service of avoiding the common traps of conventional war journalism. In fact, very few conflicts have been solved with single, silver-bullet solutions, so this diversity of perceptions and understandings may very well be key to solving what feel like otherwise intractable conflicts around the world.

Keywords: East Africa, Africa, journalism, peace journalism, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, media

This Week in Peace #97: September 5

By
Tara Abhasakun
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A view of Jerusalem, where protesters gathered this week to call for an end to the war in Gaza. Photo by Haley Black via Pexels.

Germany looks to India to help get Russia to Ukraine peace talks. Israelis protest for an end to war and return of hostages. As Thailand plans a border fence, Thai and Cambodian activists call for peace.

Germany Looks to India to Help Get Russia to Ukraine Peace Talks

In the midst of the ever-growing dispair towards the peace process between Russia and Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is calling on India to pressure its ally, Russia, to attend peace talks over Ukraine. 

During his two-day trip to India, Wadephul told media on September 3 that efforts by Europe and the US have not brought Russia to negotiations, and that India could possibly address this, The Associated Press reported. 

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, India has resisted Western pressure to denounce Russia or boycott its exports. Meanwhile, the UK defence secretary says UK and its allies are ready to back Ukraine before negotiations to end the war as well as to secure an eventual peace deal, BBC reports. 

After the United States-Russia summit in Alaska on August 15, 2025, hope for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia remain low. The summit did not achieve a ceasefire as it intended to, and violence has picked up. To read PNN’s full report on the situation, click here.

Israelis Protest for an End to War and Return of Hostages.

In Jerusalem, Israelis are protesting an end to the war in Gaza, and a return of the hostages. Protesters gathered on the night of September 3 for a ‘Day of Disruption,’ calling on the government to bring back the 48 hostages still being held in Gaza. 

Members of the crowd included families of hostages who marched from the Knesset to the prime minister’s residence. One mother of a hostage said that decision makers  “are betraying the army, are sending soldiers to fight and die.” She called for the public to join the protests behind one key goal, “Stopping the war and returning everyone, down to the last hostage.” There were intense clashes between some protesters and police.

Last week, Pope Leo XIV is raised his voice for peace in Gaza. The pope joined Jerusalem’s Latin and Greek Orthodox Patriarchs joint appeal for an end to the the war in the strip, and for humanitarian aid to flow freely there. The patriarchs released the appeal on August 26. 

As Thailand Plans a Border Fence, Thai and Cambodian Activists Call for Peace

Thailand’s Ad Hoc Centre for the Thailand-Cambodia Border Situation (AHC) this week approved plans to build a 16-kilometer fence along the disputed border with Cambodia. The governor of Sa Kaeo province said the fence would help with security after reports that Cambodians were encroaching on the forest area. 

But Thai and Cambodian activists are calling for peace and solidarity between the people of both countries, particularly migrant workers. Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand and Thai migrant workers in Cambodia have faced violence and discrimination since the conflict escalated in recent months. Activists are now sending messages to people in both countries saying “Please don’t use violence on Cambodian or Thai migrant workers,” Prachatai English reported.

The activists are calling for educational and other sectors of society to stop teaching biases and stereotypes, and instead teach healing, empathy, and “racial tolerance.”

Keywords: Russia, Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, Palestine, Thailand, Cambodia, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, peace news

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