This fact sheet presents findings from the RESOLVE Network research report, "Trauma, Violence Prevention and Reintegration: Learning from Youth Conflict Narratives in the Central African Republic," by Pauline Zerla. In the decade since a new cycle of violence began in the Central African Republic (CAR), youth have been involved extensively in waves of conflict ranging from forced recruitment into nonstate armed groups to participation in localized community-based armed groups. This case study examines reintegration as a lens for understanding how trauma, violence prevention, and peacebuilding interconnect.

Specific questions arise concerning the ways in which trauma shapes peacebuilding and social cohesion. Experts recognize that violence prevention and reintegration programming are key to these initiatives. Yet, our understanding of the ways in which trauma interacts with reintegration and social cohesion in fragile contexts is limited. To address this knowledge gap, this case study focuses on the connections between trauma and reintegration by asking how conflict-affected youth experience trauma, reintegration, and violence prevention in CAR following the signing of a peace agreement in 2019. While not generalizable, the findings presented here are instructive for other contexts facing similar dynamics and/or building out their own violence reduction and reintegration initiatives, including in areas impacted by violent extremism.

For more, see: Zerla, Pauline. Trauma, Violence Prevention and Reintegration: Learning from Youth Conflict Narratives in the Central African Republic. RESOLVE Network, 2024.