Building peace in Africa... Nigeria Example

Basim Tharut
The practice in African and Middle Eastern schools when talking about Africa is remembered as a continent filled with the Creators good. And this is the reality, this continent is abundant with success and stability factors, starting with the growing population to reach the increasingly educated youth who are working, As well as a huge trade market and a fertile investment environment, it is most likely here that it is time for Africans to take responsibility for the continents affairs and move it forward towards peace and stability.

Since the independence of African countries, the continent has witnessed many conflicts, conflicts and conflicts, especially in the last decade since the waves of militant and extremist Islam swept across the Middle East and North Africa, from to the heart of the Brunt Continent, and have become the epicenter of hate speech and a hotbed for terrorist groups, renewed military coups and insecurity.

Overview of conflicts and conflicts in Nigeria
In line with the foregoing, we are reviewing an overview of Nigerias conflict situation with more than 250 multi-religious and multilingual ethnic groups.

Since independence, it has suffered from the problem of national integration, where subnational loyalties (ethnic, religious and territorial) are higher than national loyalty. This problem has also been linked in recent years to the phenomenon of religious revival and awakening in various regions of the world, which has made recourse to "religion" an essential refuge for many to meet many challenges at the individual and collective levels.

In the late 2000s, tens of thousands of Christians and Muslims were killed in violent conflicts in Nigeria, particularly in the Nigerian state of Plateau and in Yalwa Nashar, and the local governments Shindam district, some 100 people were killed in just a month, fuelling reprisals.

Over the past decade, Nigeria has suffered from the repercussions of the spread and prosperity of the Boko Haram terrorist group, which emerged in 2009. Since then, the groups terrorist activities have killed and displaced thousands of people in northern Nigeria.

Despite the groups decline following defeats in the direction of the multinational forces formed from Lake Chad and Benin in 2015, the Nigerian State has borne the bulk of the repercussions of the large deployment of Haram in the Sahel and West Africa.

The Nigerian state barely breathed a sigh of relief until another type of conflict erupted in 2018, the results of which killed more than twice those killed in terrorist operations, a conflict over resources that carried sectarian features.

A report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in a new study on the war and its impact on livelihoods revealed that conflicts in Nigeria had killed nearly 350,000 by the end of 2020.

Is confronting violence with more military, ideological and religious violence the way to solve problems? This question applies to all the continent and not just the Nigerian situation, so we will take a little step forward the peacebuilding theorists to see how to build peace in Africa and Nigeria in particular.

Peacebuilding footsteps
Before embarking on peacebuilding dynamics, we urgently review what peacebuilding is through a short story, called the construction site.

It is telling that a woman on her way back from work came across a construction site staffed by three workers, this scene provoked the curiosity of the first worker and asked him: What are you doing here? The workers answer was Im here to crack stones. She completed her career at the construction site and came across a second factor and asked him, "What are you doing here? He told her I was here for a living. She completed her career again and asked the same question to Factor III. He replied that I was building a mosque.

The three workers answers help us understand the peacebuilding process. Sometimes we just crack stones and thus focus only on the immediate task, which is difficult. At other times, our concern is to earn a living, which is an important element for our lives and for our families.

Sometimes we realize that our small work and steps are part of a larger vision that encompasses larger works and dimensions, for example, breaking stones is part of the construction of a large mosque. Accordingly, any peace efforts, even small ones, may become part of a larger action that may ultimately sacrifice a major achievement.

Knowledge of the conflict parties motivations and backgrounds also facilitates the peacebuilding process.

Peacebuilding when and how?
Conflicts and conflicts are not constant, they change over time and the factors that pose them. Sometimes they become more intense and sometimes they diminish and decrease. At each stage there are opportunities to perform certain types of peacebuilding work. Peacebuilding theorists have divided its stages into five, as follows:

Phase I:
Setting fire (conflict or conflict): At this point, the situation fluctuates between apparent and superficial stillness and the testing of important social tensions. In areas that appear vulnerable to violent conflict, such as northern Nigeria, we see individuals working hard to achieve social change.

The first activity of this phase is the reduction of escalation and inequality among groups and parties at various levels from national leaders to community members to children in schools and focus on de-escalation and negative attitudes against ethnic groups, or religious, political or other groups, and de-escalation is a form of addressing violent conflict because it calms tensions in societies and encourages individuals to accept their differences.

Phase II, reduce ignition and remove flammable materials so that the flame does not spread:
Those seeking social change may have the opportunity to change the structure of power or the political system through a military coup d état, public opinion or other means.

Nonviolent defence is essential, and non-violent defence efforts can be concentrated in a particular country or region. For example, efforts to prevent countries from producing landmines were concentrated in certain countries and then became an international movement. Anti-personnel landmines were banned in accordance with an international treaty signed in 1997.

Examples of non-violent defence activities include human rights training and peacebuilding activities. Agricultural and economic development projects may be part of peacebuilding activities because they are important to help provide livelihoods and build alternative infrastructure for more just societies, as well as securing media, supporting newspapers and news newspapers that disseminate peace messages and forums for dialogue.

Phase III, damage reduction:
If violence prevails, which is where Nigeria has been for decades, one step in peacebuilding is peacekeeping operations that require the introduction of Government military forces under the United Nations, the African Union or regional organizations to disperse the fighting parties. Such intervention may calm the escalation and give the fighting groups some space for political negotiations to begin.

Regrettably, sometimes the international community fails to take part in processes of conflict calm and peacekeeping by turning a blind eye to the interests of international powers in conflict zones.

Moreover, effective pressure on the parties leaders to stop violence is one of the most important means and can be exercised outside or within the State as economic sanctions or sanctions against certain individuals.

Phase IV, Embers cooling:
Violence calms down and violence resurfaces Between that and those there is an opportunity to reorient the parties towards ways of change, It is possible to start economic development projects that in turn contribute to connecting people beyond the conflicts that divide them. And if they are linked to the rebuilding process demanded by all parties, these activities will bring us some kind of fragile peace that we can build on in the next phase.

Moreover, the role of the media and communication should be activated and other means developed in order to share and disseminate positive stories or opportunities for peace, demonstrate progress towards peace and preserve hope for peace at the end.

Then we find ourselves in front of one of the most dangerous steps/activities, namely the demobilization and voluntary demobilization of soldiers, mercenaries or armed groups, But this step is not just to disarm but to help them find a job or a suitable job that gives them enough income to live on. "The brunette continent is teeming with those who practise taking up arms as a means of livelihood, and to reintegrate them back into the fabric of society and the States administrative structure.

Phase V, post-conflict:
Peacebuilding takes more years than the conflict itself, and here the need to resettle and build homes, farms, buildings and infrastructure services, such as water and electricity, has reminded us of these activities in earlier stages, but the post-conflict phase is more stable and facilitates the completion of work.

In addition to building infrastructure and economic projects, relationships that help heal society must be built by integrating people in a way that enables them to overcome conflicts that divide them, and here the need for self-support, social reconciliation and reconciliation is great.

Bottom line: The African continent is a continent of diversity and pluralism in the world of both things, ideas and beliefs African societies are characterized by ethnic, religious and racial diversity. If societies in other countries succeed in managing diversity and make it a point of strength and richness, Most African States suffer from ethnic conflicts that have affected the course of development and are almost ravaging the nation itself.

It is therefore imperative that African States cultivate the values of peace, human feelings, respect for human rights and appreciation of difference so as not to overcome any conflicts in phase I (ignition) or phase II.

Furthermore, the means of education must be developed and dialogue curricula within the African education system incorporated. A way of changing the order of allegiances must be included, with national pre-religious, racial and ethnic loyalty and the promotion of interreligious dialogue in Nigerias case, particularly between northern Muslim and southern surveyor and ethnic groups.

If these steps are followed in most conflict situations in Africa by different parties, factors and methods of implementation, we may one day reach the desired peace.

Source: Josoor Post