When? 25 June 2026
Time
- 1pm (Bangui, Kinshasa, Rabat)
- 2pm (Brussels, Tunis)
Language: French
Free webinar – Mandatory Registration
Understanding Community Practices in Local Justice in the Central African Republic
In the Central African Republic, access to justice remains a major challenge for many people. In a context marked by institutional fragility, financial barriers, limited legitimacy, insecurity, and the remoteness of judicial services, communities often turn to a wide range of local actors to prevent, manage, or resolve disputes.
During an upcoming webinar, Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) and Inanga will present a study on community-based justice practices in the Central African Republic, conducted as part of the Justice Nzoni – fango ngbanga na beafrica project, funded by the European Union. The study aims to provide a better understanding of how people actually access justice and the roles played by local actors in this process.
The findings show that local justice in the Central African Republic cannot simply be understood as an opposition between the formal state justice system and community-based dispute resolution mechanisms. Rather, it relies on a diverse range of actors — including neighbourhood and village chiefs, traditional leaders, security forces, religious leaders, associations, women’s organisations, administrative authorities, and judicial actors — who intervene depending on the context, the territory, and the nature of the dispute.
The study also highlights a central dynamic: disputes are often addressed not solely according to legal categories, but according to their perceived importance, their potential to escalate, and their impact on social cohesion. In many cases, the primary objective is not simply to settle a dispute, but to prevent it from deteriorating into a larger conflict.
The webinar will provide an opportunity to present the study’s main findings, discuss the variations observed between Bangui, Bambari, and Bouar, and explore avenues for better supporting, regulating, and coordinating existing local justice practices.
Through this event, ASF and Inanga seek to contribute to a collective reflection on how to strengthen access to justice in ways that are more effective, more equitable, and more closely aligned with the realities experienced by communities.
