Young and Displaced, CAR’s Youth Pin Hopes on Election for Peace and Education

With over 416,000 internally displaced—most under 25—first-time voters see Sunday’s polls as a turning point after years of conflict and disruption.

BIRAO, Central African Republic — In a sun-scorched displacement camp on the edge of the Sahel, 18-year-old Amani Abdramane adjusts her pink headscarf and considers what she wants from Sunday’s election: peace, a chance to return to school, and a future beyond the makeshift settlement she now calls home.

She is one of hundreds of thousands of young, displaced Central Africans who will vote for the first time in presidential and legislative polls they hope will bring stability and opportunity after years of conflict.

“I just want my brothers, sisters and me to be able to go to school,” Abdramane told AFP. She has not attended class since fleeing ethnic violence in 2015, shortly after her father was killed.

Across the Central African Republic, some 416,000 people remain internally displaced as of November, the vast majority under the age of 25. For many, this weekend’s vote represents not just a political choice, but a personal lifeline.

Outside a community radio station in Birao’s Korsi neighborhood—now a voter card distribution center—18-year-old Marina Hajjram clutched her newly received registration card. “I’m so happy,” she said.

Behind her, 25-year-old Issa Abdoul called the elections essential “to continue the reconstruction of our country.”

Korsi hosts thousands of internally displaced Central Africans as well as refugees from neighboring Sudan, where spillover violence continues to threaten communities in CAR’s northeast.

President Faustin-Archange Touadera is seeking a third term amid a field of seven presidential candidates. The last elections in 2020 were hampered by insecurity that prevented many from voting—adding urgency to this year’s participation.

But for displaced youth, even obtaining a voter card is a hurdle. Many lost identification documents while fleeing, and three-quarters of the population is under 35, according to UN data.

Issene Abdoulkasim, 23, dreams of becoming a tailor to fund his education, with an ultimate goal of entering parliament. “As an MP I’ll be able to bring peace and development,” he said. “I want to put an end to conflicts, tensions and everything that is destroying our country.”

For young voters like him, the ballot is more than politics—it’s a bet on a brighter future.