A rare note of hope is coming from the north-east of the Central African Republic. In Vakaga prefecture, violent incidents linked to transhumance, the seasonal movement of livestock, fell by more than 65%, from 78 cases in the 2024/25 season to 27 in 2025/26. The results were presented at a workshop held in Birao on 10 and 11 October.
The meeting brought together 40 participants, including six women, from local authorities, farming and herding communities, community organisations and partners. The aim was to review the past season and prepare for the 2026/27 campaign.
Much of the improvement is due to work on the ground. Awareness raising, mediation and early warning efforts, carried out with support from MINUSCA, played a decisive role. According to Daoud Bourma, chair of the Birao Transhumance Committee, the UN mission’s logistical support made it possible to hold more than 30 awareness sessions. It also allowed teams to reach remote villages and defuse tensions before they escalated.
The difficulties have not gone away, however. Transhumance corridors are often ignored and there are not enough water points for livestock. Participants are therefore calling for stronger community dialogue and the creation of joint committees of farmers and herders. They are also asking for corridors to be marked out and for water points, livestock markets and veterinary pharmacies to be built in Sikikédé, Takadja, Madja and Am-Sissia.
Consolidating these gains will also require stronger local conflict prevention structures. For Vakaga’s communities, the challenge now is to turn this lull into lasting coexistence.