When violence spiralled in Central African Republic’s capital last December, it was argued by many political commentators as sectarian based violence where Muslims were against the Christians using their militia groups Seleka and anti-balaka respectively.

Interestingly when the anti-balaka militia started attacking Muslims indiscriminately in what they called revenge and self defense the country’s most senior Muslim cleric sought shelter with the Catholic archbishop of Bangui.

And that month no one was attacked in Lakounga, one of the oldest parts of the capital, where Christian and Muslim leaders worked together to protect the community. Posters were plastered on every street corner with the message: “Christians and Muslims, the same blood, the same life, the same country”.

Rwanda in 1994 experienced the same catastrophe in which almost one million people were butchered in just three months; this was described as the most failure of the international community to protect innocent civilians since the Jewish holocaust in 1940s at the hands of the Nazi Germany. But it was also a failure of Rwandan politicians who had power at the time.

Whereas its true some individuals and criminals have used different tactics to advance their political agenda, the fact remains that, the common people share the same destiny of poverty and other problems whether Muslims or Christians who live in the same locality.

Take for instance the people of Bangui who live in a slam area have the same common phenomena of lack of good sanitation, overcrowding, shortage of electricity , lack of water, etc. This is what they all share in common and their goals are to work together to have or live in a good well developed environment irrespective of their faith.

Africa for the last 5 decades has been let down by their leaders, the conflicts that have become a trend on the African continent are not natural but man made.

Greed and lack of transparency in the management of state affairs have become a fashion for almost African governments and eventually exploited by greedy proxies that either work for the leaders or just scavenge from the carcasses left by their leaders.

Central African Republic at the hands of Bokasa to the recent Seleka leader Michel Djotodia has been marred by the desires of looters and wreckers.

The exogenous factor of the foreign predators that have lived a hyena and lion relationship where they always send troops not to protect the citizen that are being killed, children massacred without mercy or women raped almost on daily basis but rather to protect their interests both political and economic.

Indeed, many Rwandans were butchered when the international community was locked in the argument of technical definition whether what was happening in Rwanda was genocide or something else. But whether genocide or any other massacre, human life is sacred and should be protected at all cost.

It is not surprising therefore to see the same mistakes that were committed during Rwandan genocide are repeated not only in Central African Republic, but Syria, and other places on the planet.

Obviously the people of Central African Republic have lived together before the arrival of the Muslims or Christians which implies that they are older than both faiths and they should put aside their different faiths and work together to bring back their country to life.

Indeed, they believe in one God whom they share a lot in Common, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, therefore they should not be taken by minor differences and forget that they all belong to Central African Republic.

The new leadership of Central African Republic should learn from the leadership of Rwanda under the command of President Paul Kagame who inherited a country many had predicted to be not only a failed state but a state which had nothing to start from and which had no hands or legs to stand and walk again.

But many were surprised in fact some people say it’s a miracle to see Rwanda coming from death to life, but I will argue that this is not a miracle but the resolve of Rwandan people and their leaders to walk another mile from the Hutu or Tutsi description to more robust identity of Rwandan and now beyond to the East African Community.

Therefore, what Rwandans and the RPF under their Chairman and President of the Republic of Rwanda have achieved should be emulated by the current leadership of Central African Republic with determination and resolve; they can overcome their differences and a build a new Central African Republic where Muslims and Christians live side by side in harmony and tranquility.

{The author works at Centre for Diplomacy and International Relations (UK).}