Group Applauds Dialogue Process in Conflict Resolution

George Okoh In Makurdi

Gender Advocacy for Justice Initiative (GAJI) with support from the Government and people of Japan, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Benue State Government yesterday organised a one-day state-level peace dialogue with community peace committees from four local government areas of the state with the aim to improve the skills of stakeholders on peace-building and community security.

GAJI Interim Executive Director, Ms. Iveren Sambe, while presenting a broad overview of the dialogue, stated that the dialogue session was in furtherance of the implementation of the project titled: ‘Support for Social Stability and Security of the Conflict Affected Communities in North-Central Nigeria’, and that the session was to facilitate stakeholders to understand pathways to effective dialogue towards achieving social cohesion.

Stakeholders from civil society organisations in Benue State, UNDP, security sector, socio-cultural organisations such as Miyetti Allah, and traditional institutions from the crisis-affected local government areas of Agatu, Buruku, Guma and Kwande, gave their goodwill messages during the dialogue session.

They collectively stressed the need for social cohesion and peaceful coexistence among communities in the state. The stakeholders also thanked GAJI and the funding partners for facilitating the process, and pledged unalloyed support for peace processes across the target local government areas.

The state branch Chairman of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, the Fulani socio-cultural association, Mr. Ardo Abdukarim, expressed his willingness to work with the organisation to see peace return to the affected communities, as he vowed to speak the truth and stand for it.

Chief Dennis Nyitse of Buruku Local Government Area also called for peace with profound wishes for a return to the

old peaceful days when the Tivs and Fulanis coexisted peacefully without fear.

Overall, the capacity of over 80 persons of concern was strengthened on the topics covered but not limited to contemporary insecurity, recruitment and radicalisation, early warning and early response, and dialogue approach to social cohesion building.