Conflict Mitigation Tools Contribute to Community Cohesion in Dosso, Niger

Since September 2020, the USAID/CPS Office of Transition Initiatives' (OTI's) Niger Stability Support Initiative has implemented over 54 activities with various national partners and local grantees in the country, working to enhance peacebuilding efforts that strengthen government action and reinforce links between government and communities. Due to a recent uptick in violent extremist organization (VEO) activity in the Dosso region of Niger, OTI activities have become increasingly critical in mitigating disputes and supporting regional stability in this key region. 

Communities in Dosso are more vulnerable to augmented VEO presence because of fractured relationships with local leadership and inter/intra community conflict. In Niger, constituents consider their village and regional chiefs as the most respected authorities when it comes to problem solving. However, some Dosso chiefs reported that they have not held community meetings or presided over dispute resolutions in over five years. This lack of collaboration increases distrust in leadership and allows disputes to go unchecked without a system for mitigation. OTI identified the need to help increase community cohesion through a training curriculum aimed at building trust and communication between traditional leaders and their communities. This also provides them with new tools to resolve disputes and reestablish engagement with their communities. 

The training plan, “Improved Leaders’ Skills for Effective Crisis Response in Dosso,” included five sessions with 19 traditional leaders, 14 regional chiefs, 14 female community leaders, and 14 civil society organization leaders. In addition to providing conflict mitigation tools, OTI created a regulated, safe space for community leaders to speak to each other and share ideas regarding past accomplishments and lessons learned from prior experiences with dispute resolution. Additionally, OTI led brainstorming forums to generate new ideas as a group, and to better share information on security challenges in different parts of the region. These trainings also included Fulani leaders, a historically nomadic ethnic group whose settled communities often experience isolation from neighboring villages—a highlight of the sessions. The inclusion of this marginalized community provided them with a platform to engage with other community leaders and voice their concerns regarding regional issues on equal footing with their peers. Afterward, many participants shared that they had never before received practical instruction in conflict mitigation (the main focus of the OTI trainings with their participatory approach). 

As a result of the training plan implementation, regional and village chiefs are much more involved in conflict resolution and problem solving in their  communities. Participants learned consultative approaches to dialogue with each other—and community members—for more robust dispute resolutions and more fair, inclusive community engagement methods. Furthermore, the trainings’ emphasis on participation and inclusion empowered community members to also take on a more active role in defending their security and remaining open to dialogue, rather than letting their conflicts fester and remain unaddressed. 

"Communities near each other that have never interacted before now have open communication channels to report when they see terrorists mobilizing near their villages. People can spread the word and share ideas on how to address the situation before it evolves too far." - Conflict Mitigation Trainer

Leaders that participated in the trainings have continued traveling across Dosso, independent of OTI, to put the skills they learned in action and share them with others by holding forums and conducting similar trainings with other groups. Some of the chiefs also used these sessions as an entry point back into their communities to preside over day-to-day management that is not limited to dispute resolution. Now, community meetings occur more regularly and discussions include introducing long-term development ideas for preserving stability.