Aflame training helps initiate reconciliation in Central African Republic

For generations Muslims and Christians lived together in Boda, Central African Republic (CAR).

Muslims were mainly involved in dealing in diamonds found in the area. Christians worked as farmers and labourers in the diamond mines. The Muslims lived in their own part of town—a big Muslim quarter in the centre with two big mosques inviting them to prayer five times a day. The Christians lived all around the Muslim centre of Boda town.

Although there was sometimes intermarriage between the different groups, tensions were always present.

But in 2012 Muslim Seleka forces conquered almost the entire country. Some Muslims in Boda joined them. They attacked the Christian and Animist areas of town.

In 2014 Seleka was forced to retreat as international forces from France and the UN worked to restore order. But the local Muslims of Boda stayed behind.

Anti-Balaka, mostly Animist militias, but also included some Christians, were ready to pounce on the Muslims who had done them so much harm.

Aflame partners had built relationships with some of the pastors and Christians in Boda. We brought them food aid and other essentials in their camps. We also brought some training to help Christians deal with the hatred and bitterness.

Reconciliation Seminar

So in 2014 we organized a seminar on reconciliation. Only a small part of that seminar was about forgiveness, but it was this part that motivated Pierre and Jean to take a big step of faith. “During the seminar I decided to forgive the Muslims for what they had done to me and my family. Right here in the church, in front of all the other pastors, I bravely stated that I wanted to forgive and forget and to meet with our Muslim brothers,” Pastor Jean explains. Pierre decided to join him in his quest. 

The next morning, they prayed together before ‘strolling into the enemy territory’. Some of the Muslim leaders saw the two pastors cross into their quarter.

“I must admit that I was scared. At least until we prayed. After we asked God to bless our offering of peace, I lost all my fear. Together with Pierre I walked towards the Muslim quarter, some five minutes down the road from my house.”

Jean: “Everybody knew you risked your life if you crossed that line without protection. People would shoot you on sight or they would arrest you and take you to their headquarters. But there we went. Slowly, calmly, in the middle of the road for everybody to see, Bibles in hands, we strolled towards the red line. Nothing happened. Everything was quiet. We crossed the red line. Nothing happened. We saw people stare, not knowing what to do. We continued walking.”

Then, in plain sight of everyone the pastors extended a hand to the Muslim elders and then they all continued to the end of the Muslim quarter together.

“We told them that we had forgiven them and that we loved them like before. We asked them to accept our offer of peace, which they did. Eagerly. It’s not that every Muslim was out there to kill Christians. We were friends before.”

Jean

Building peace through a marketplace

Not everybody was pleased, and the two pastors still had many hearts on both sides to convince. So, they encouraged people to buy and sell food in a small market they created on the border between the two areas. Slowly the peace started eroding hatred in people’s hearts.

“The Muslims had money but no food,” explains Pierre. “The Christians had farm products and firewood and other commodities but no money. So, we encouraged people to buy and sell food in a small market we started right on the ‘red line.’”

Slowly, the peace began to erode hatred in many people’s hearts.

Next the pastors created a platform for religious leaders: Catholics, Protestants and Muslims met and dialogued and gave advice on peace.

Together they convinced a big majority of the people who lived in and around Boda to reconcile completely.

The tranquillity between most of the Christians and Muslims in Boda is still rather uncommon in the Central African Republic. In fact, in many placed of the country this reconciliation has not happened, and the situation remains tense. But Boda is the proof that it is possible for Christians and Muslims to live side-by-side, even after all that happened.

“I pray that God will repay you for these gifts”

Widow & many others receive urgent aid in Cameroon

The Far North region of Cameroon is the country’s poorest region, bordering Nigeria to the west and Chad to the east. And for Christians who live there, the area has become synonymous with fear and risk. Since 2013, the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram has terrorized rural villages in the Far North, launching repeated attacks—the triangle-shaped area is so vulnerable to attack that it has been designated as a “red zone.” One Christian from the region even commented that at night, most of her village leaves to sleep in the mountains, braving snakes and insects, fearing yet another attack from Boko Haram.

Aflame, in partnership with others, has distributed emergency food aid to Christians in this area on several occasions. Our help goes to Christians who have have fled their houses because of brutal attacks by Boko Haram. Their fighters often cross the border from Nigeria into Cameroon, just to do raids and to loot.

Widow Damaris

One such survivor is widow Damaris. She told Aflame representatives: “They first attacked my village last year in July. We were at home, but they chased us away. They burnt the house and afterwards we picked up what was left.

“When we, the women, fled up into the mountains, the men stayed at the bottom of the mountain to defend (our homes and other belongings). After each attack we would return. But a while later, they would attack us again.”

One night, Damaris’ husband was killed while defending his property.

“As soon as I saw his body I cried, and my heart started beating fast. Then in the evening I fainted. They took me to the hospital and gave me medicines to calm me down.”

Damaris fled her village and found refuge in the town of Tourou. She was among 400 Christian families, or 2,700 persons, who received food aid from Aflame and our partners.

“I am thankful for the food aid that you have given me. Really thank you. I pray that God will repay you for these gifts.”

This emergency distribution in Cameroon, is one of many food distributions Aflame has done in Africa.

Water project heals rifts and brings cohesion in rural Ethiopian community

Ethiopia is beautiful, but water is a scarce commodity in certain parts of the country. In one specific area towards the east, there is only enough rain for one harvest per year. That does not earn these subsistence farmers enough income to allow them to purchase things like water pumps to help ease the work. Everything changed the moment Aflame partnered with a local church to bring some much-needed change.

Unwanted minority

When a group of Christians built a church in one Muslim dominated area a few years ago, they were welcomed with rocks thrown at them. Pastor Eliso was reminded every day that his neighbours didn’t want them or their religion in this area.

“During church services and times of worship, they would throw rocks at the church and shout insults at us,” explains pastor Eliso. “But that aggression was the easy part of the persecution. The hard part was the isolation we felt, because they refused to interact with us. They had no respect for us and considered us as unholy and despicable people.”

During the Covid-pandemic, Aflame partners visited this area and witnessed how persecution together with the covid-restrictions made life very difficult for Christians. The pastors then informed us about the water problems.

“We cultivated mostly corn in this region. But we were dependent upon rainfall,” Eliso stated.

Together, we decided to build a water system that could benefit both the church and the local people. But we also hoped that this would help improve the relationship between the Christians and Muslims.

Today the pit sits in one corner of the church compound. It took ten volunteers from this church one month to dig the pit. Then a water pump was installed at the bottom of the pit and the whole thing was roofed. From there, channels were dug that carry the water to farmland in the area. The water now serves several farmers, both Christians and Muslims.

Multi-pronged solutions

“Immediately after the water project was started, farming suddenly started to boom. Now, people who never used to own anything, have been building their lives,” Eliso explained.

The water is also used in the farmland that belongs to the church. Its crops are sold at the market and pays the pastor’s salary and some other church overheads. It also provides drinking water to over a thousand households, Muslims and Christians. Free of charge.

“From the start we wanted this water to benefit everybody, Christians and Muslims, without any payment. We wanted to achieve high goals. People from the community would hear Christian songs and testimonies, while fetching water. And it would solve our problems of getting drinking water.

“The water project has brought reconciliation in many ways. People who didn’t greet each other before, now do. People who never listened to each other before, now do. And that is not all. These days Christians are invited into leadership positions in local committees. That is because they are regarded as honest, servant-leaders. That is how far reconciliation has come,” Eliso says.

The Christians told the other Christians to wait so that Muslims can get their water first. That kindness is their habit. They always do things like that.

One of the Muslims who benefits from this project, Abdala, agrees. “The Christians told the other Christians to wait so that Muslims can get their water first. That kindness is their habit. They always do things like that. Our children were often ill. And also we, the adults, were prone to illness. Now, our children are well, the adults are well and even the elderly are well. All because of the provision of clean water. The result is that we now respect each other. We have mutual respect. We live together in love.”