In Lakouanga, Bangui, life has returned to normal and everyone goes about his every day activities. Once again the streets are alive, the children play outside and traders have reopened their shops and stalls. Yet in the month of September, people killed each other in this very same area, in a new outbreak of violence in the Central African Republic capital. The traces remain there, in the hearts and on the walls, especially in places of worship, which had been subjected to attacks and reprisals.

Residents of this neighborhood of Bangui, including religious leaders, have taken the initiative to bring together the traumatized communities to heal the wounds and learn to live peacefully in the same space. They created a reconstruction committee that brings together people of all faiths.

Father Bidace Kossingo of the Catholic parish "The Martyrs of Uganda " is one of the initiators of this project. " In this area, people of all faiths used to live in harmony," he says. "Christians and Muslims used to meet during the religious celebration of Easter and Tabaski" recalls Adam Fall, a Muslim
"It’s important to re-create that harmony for the future of our children, the adults of tomorrow, to guarantee the stability of the country," said Father Kossingo.

Two places of worship have already been rehabilitated: the mosque, which had been destroyed again in September after being rebuilt a few months earlier, and the old chapel in the premises of the Church of the Holy Martyrs of Uganda. These initiatives were supported by the United Nations, which not only promoted reconciliation but also mobilized material and funding for the rehabilitation of damaged buildings.

The chapel has been converted into a multipurpose room.  It will  serve as a multimedia space, as well as a room for meetings or recreational activities for the benefit of the youth of all faiths.

A site visit was organized on April 24, 2016, on a “social cohesion day”. The reconstruction committee has initiated advocacy and outreach activities to raise  awareness about the merits of living together.

Several personalities attended the site visit including the Minister of Social Affairs and National Reconciliation, Ms. Virginia Baikoua, and the mayor of the second district of Bangui. International partners also attended, including several representatives of MINUSCA, the Police Commissioner, Luiz Carrilho, the Head of the Bangui office, Fred Babi, and members of the community police and of the MINUSCA female police network.

This “social cohesion day” was also celebrated in other parts of the country with sporting activities or other advocacy events under the theme of  “living together.”. In Berberati, a provincial town of Mambéré-Kadéï , west of Bangui, the Bishop and the Imam of Carnot participated with local authorities in awareness and social cohesion activities organized by a collective of ex "anti- Balaka" militias.

The peacekeeping mission regularly initiates or supports  mediation and reconciliation efforts. One recent example was  ensuring  access for the Muslim community to the Boeing cemetery in Bangui which had been closed to them  throughout the crisis.