The Simon Lalong administration has engaged a Switzerland-based conflict management firm to resolve the state’s communal clashes.

By many people’s reckoning, Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong has done well in calming tempers in the state’s often boiling communities. Since taking office, he has dialogued with the leadership of diverse communities, urging them to ensure peace reigned. For a length of time, the state enjoyed a measure of tranquility. Yet, the governor figured there was more work to be done, necessitating the intervention of external professionals.

The Lalong administration has engaged the services of an international conflict management organisation, Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (CHD), to resolve conflicts in the state.

CHD was unveiled in Shendam Mini-Stadium where the pact was sealed.

CHD is a private mediation organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland with a regional headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Its mission is to help prevent and resolve armed conflicts through dialogue and mediation.

The inter-communal dialogue which is expected to last for an initial period of six months will engage all the 46 communities across the six local governments of the state.

Plateau State, like many others in the central region of Nigeria, has faced periodic inter-communal violence that has too often assumed ethno-religious dimensions, leaving many persons dead, more displaced and whole communities traumatised.

In order to address the ethnic and religious tensions that sometimes manifest in violence, the governor had at inception of his administration in 2015 set up the Plateau State Peace Building Agency. The creation of the agency was in fulfillment of the governor’s promise to consolidate on the peace, security and good governance of the state.

The state government acknowledges the need for an interim dialogue process to maintain the momentum gained by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (CHD) following the successful completion of a similar dialogue process in Jos City and its environs. There is a connection between the violence across Plateau State. Although there had been previous outbreaks of violence, the major inter-religious and communal clashes in Southern Plateau came on the heels of the 2001 Jos ethno-religious crisis. Ethnic and religious communities in Plateau State particularly Muslims and Christians developed a huge sense of fear and distrust between them.

Prior outbreaks of violence in Southern Plateau revolved around clashes between farmers and grazers on, for instance, destruction of crops, stock routes, political positions and economic resources. Many of these disputes and clashes erupt on indigene-s settler dichotomy. The year 2002 was particularly dark for Southern Plateau with the crisis mainly characterised by violence in Yelwa Shendam, Wase, Langtang North and Langtang South. The crisis has left long-term scars and created “no go zones” in the communities.

With the backing of Plateau State government and the support of the German government, CHD is set to start an inter-communal dialogue process between the  communities in Southern Plateau, for the next six months across 6 flash point LGAs of Langtang North, Langtang South, Mikang, Qua’an Pan, Shendam and Wase. The dialogue process will focus primarily on continuous causes of tension that include that of pastoralist and farmer conflicts; internally displaced persons; cross-border disputes between the LGAs; cattle rustling; land disputes; chieftaincy issues and claims; rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure and social amenities; role of government and security agencies in maintaining law and order; Youth restiveness; gun running and proliferation of arms; Representation in political positions and offices among others.

By addressing these issues through dialogue, CHD hopes to involve the affected communities in developing collective solutions to their problems. To achieve this objective each community has selected six persons to represent it at the dialogue table. CHD completed similar dialogue processes in Dec 2014 in Jos and in Southern Kaduna in Kaduna State in March 2016.

Chairman of the event, the Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Most Rev. Dr. Ignatius Kaigama said, “The nature of the conflict that manifested at the Southern Plateau in 2004 were that of Land ownership, cattle rustling, farmer-pastoralist conflict, ethnicity, control of political power, indigene/settler conflict, control of economic activities (especially markets) religion and criminality. However, all these causes manifest themselves in three ways namely: Religious conflict, conflict over land and farmer/pastoralist conflict. I know this because I was privileged to spent all my seminary years and early priesthood working in Southern Plateau. I have worked in Langtang North and South, Shendam and Quan-Pan LGCs for many years. In fact when the conflict in Yelwa happened, I was working in Namu, another conflict hot spot.

He added, “Some of you may remember how even before the conflict in Yelwa, attempts were made to relocate the famous Yam market from there so as to reduce the influence of one ethnic group on it. Also, there were many cases of cases of cattle rustling or theft in Wase and Langtang South. Furthermore, many farm produce were destroyed. Crops still growing on farms were cut down and destroyed. Furthermore, houses and food stores were also burnt, I remember also a time when some youths in Namu went and poisoned a stream where Fulanis go to water their cattle so that the cattle will drink and die. All this attacks and counter-attacks, revenge mentality and hatred have divided our communities, made us enemies one to another and impoverished Southern Plateau which is supposed to be the food basket of Plateau State because most of the inhabitants here are farmers. So at the end of it all, we were the losers.

Commenting on the effect of the prolonged conflict, Archbishop Kaigama said, “Violent conflict doesn’t bring progress and prosperity to a land. Rather, it slows progress or even takes us back many years.

“I want to use this opportunity to thank and appreciate His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Barr. Simon Bako Lalong, the gentle and Peace-loving governor of our dear State for initiating this intervention. Coming from Ajikamai, I am sure he has also suffered the effects of all these conflicts both directly and indirectly. Most of us here may not appreciate the import and significant of what His Excellency has done. In some places, Government will prefer that conflict continues because that will help them to siphon money in the name of security vote without being accountable. Also, Government can use the excuse of conflict to abdicate its responsibility of providing social services and amenities to the people, thereby exposing citizens to more poverty. It’s therefore highly commendable that it is the Governor himself who has initiated this process. May God bless you Your Excellency.

“I want to also appreciate the officials of Humanitarian Dialogue Germany for their courage and sacrifice, also for agreeing to steer this process. Looking at the road map, they intend to use facilitated dialogue style where they will guide us so that we find solutions to our problems, difficulties and differences by ourselves. From their careful selection of delegates, all interest groups are represented and the relevant stakeholders are carried along and included. They respect you so much and believe in your maturity and capacity to find solutions to your problems and difference through dialogue guided by maturity, respect and collaboration.

Lalong in his remarks before signing the peace roadmap said, “Our commitment to consolidating on our peace building efforts in all parts of the state is what has led to the launching of this inter-communal dialogue in Plateau South. This is expected to last for six months. This dialogue process will not be easy, but it can be done, it has been done in societies more divided than ours.

“My government will support the recommendation that will emanate from the dialogue provided it will lead to permanent peace in the state,” said Lalong.

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Plateau engages Swiss conflict Management firm to assist with peace efforts