Regional Workshop: Cross-border Dialogue and Youth Empowerment for Peace in the Great Lakes Region

Having long been plagued by instability, conflict, and war, the people of the Great Lakes region remain steadfast in their pursuit of peace.  With this objective in mind, young people from Rwanda, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi met for three days in Kigali from 11 to 13 December for a workshop organised by Interpeace and its local partners, namely Pole Institute and Action pour la Paix et la Concorde (APC) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Centre d’Alerte et de Prévention des Conflits (CENAP) in Burundi, Vision Jeunesse Nouvelle (VJN) and Never Again Rwanda in Rwanda. This workshop was part of the ‘Cross-border Dialogue and Youth Empowerment for Peace in the Great Lakes Region’ programme. The aim was to exchange ideas on peace initiatives led by young innovators and peace fellows supported by the programme.

« Vivre ensemble » malgré un passé de violence cyclique - Identifier les capacités de résilience pour la réconciliation dans la sous-région des Grands Lacs

La réconciliation peut-elle être durable entre les communautés qui ont connu les formes de violence les plus extrêmes ? C'est l'une des questions posées par 150 acteurs de haut niveau, lors d'un forum régional tenu en décembre 2015 à Kinshasa, où ils ont mandaté Interpeace et ses partenaires pour mener une recherche sur les expériences de réconciliation au Burundi, en RDC et au Rwanda, afin d'identifier comment ces expériences peuvent être mises à profit pour accroître la cohésion sociale et soutenir les efforts de consolidation de la paix. Les trois pays forment une sous-région des Grands Lacs qui a été marquée par des décennies de conflits violents, notamment le génocide contre les Tutsis, la guerre civile au Burundi et les première et deuxième guerres du Congo. Notre dernier rapport présente les résultats d'une recherche menée au Burundi, au Rwanda et dans les provinces du Nord et du Sud-Kivu en République démocratique du Congo (RDC) pour répondre à ce mandat en identifiant les capacités de résilience qui favorisent la réconciliation dans la sous-région.

Le rapport, intitulé « Capacités de résilience pour la réconciliation dans la sous-région des Grands Lacs », est le troisième publié dans le cadre du programme Cross-Border for Peace in the Great Lakes Region, lancé par Interpeace et six partenaires dans la région en 2011. Comme pour la recherche précédente, celui-cia utilisé la recherche-action participative (RAP), combinant des approches qualitatives et quantitatives, et a impliqué plus de 9 000 personnes dans la région - 50 % des participants étaient des femmes et plus de 30 % étaient des personnes de moins de 30 ans.

Faire progresser la réconciliation dans la région des Grands Lacs

Le rapport met en lumière la façon dont la population de la sous-région définit la réconciliation ainsi que les facteurs favorables et les obstacles à la réconciliation. Il met en évidence un certain nombre de capacités existantes dans la sous-région qui permettent aux populations de surmonter la méfiance laissée par des années de conflit et de vivre ensemble en paix. Ces capacités se manifestent à travers des pratiques individuelles, relationnelles, culturelles et institutionnelles, permettant aux communautés de faire face aux conséquences des conflits violents et, plus important encore, de transformer les relations de manière positive et durable. Le rapport présente également des recommandations et des actions prioritaires, formulées par les parties prenantes elles-mêmes, pour faire progresser la réconciliation dans la région.

Parmi les principales conclusions, l'étude souligne l'importance de l'éducation à la paix pour changer les attitudes des individus et des structures, déconstruire les préjugés et les stéréotypes et développer la capacité à vivre ensemble dans un espace régional partagé. En conséquence, les parties prenantes ont recommandé de promouvoir une éducation à la paix qui s'appuie sur les efforts existants des membres de la communauté et qui vise à construire une identité régionale et un sentiment d'appartenance.

Le rapport montre également comment les relations transfrontalières ont joué un rôle majeur dans le renforcement de la résilience aux conflits, malgré les tensions géopolitiques. Les efforts des femmes et des jeunes pour maintenir ces relations malgré et pendant les périodes de conflit ainsi qu'en temps de paix ont été perçus comme une force potentielle à exploiter. Par conséquent, les parties prenantes ont recommandé d'amplifier ces efforts par l'expansion et le renforcement de projets économiques inclusifs des femmes et des jeunes.

Selon l'étude, environ deux tiers de la population de la région ont subi une forme de violence liée au conflit. Le rapport souligne comment les traumatismes résultant des conflits passés et actuels jouent un rôle important dans la vie des populations de la sous-région des Grands Lacs. À ce titre, les parties prenantes ont recommandé de lancer et d'étendre les stratégies nationales et régionales de guérison des traumatismes qui sont conçues pour guérir les blessures du passé ainsi que pour favoriser la réconciliation et la cohésion sociale.

En outre, l'insécurité, et en particulier la prolifération des groupes armés dans l'est de la RDC et ses implications régionales, est apparue comme un défi important pour la durabilité des efforts de réconciliation. Les parties prenantes ont recommandé un apprentissage et une collaboration transfrontaliers en matière de démobilisation et de réintégration socio-économique des anciens combattants.

L'une des principales conclusions du rapport est que la reconnaissance, le renforcement et l'exploitation des capacités de résilience qui existent au Burundi, en RDC et au Rwanda ont le potentiel d'intensifier les efforts pour favoriser une paix et une réconciliation durables dans toute la région.

Programme transfrontalier pour la paix dans la région des Grands Lacs

The Cross-Border for Peace in the Great Lakes Region programme was launched in 2011 by Interpeace and its partners to address key challenges to peace and reconciliation. The programme is currently in its second phase and is implemented by the following partners: Interpeace, Réseau d'Innovation Organisationnelle (RIO); Action Pour la Paix et la Concorde (APC) in South Kivu; Pole Institute and Centre d'Etudes Juridiques Appliquées (CEJA) in North Kivu; Centre d'Alerte et de Prévention des Conflits (CENAP) in Burundi and Never Again Rwanda (NAR) in Rwanda. This report is the third published under this programme. The first, published in 2013 focused on "Stereotypes and Identity Manipulations” and a second report on "Land, Identity, Power and Population Movements" was published in 2016.

"I walk with the boys" Trajectories of young people towards violence: mirror of the gender dynamics of their society? A local analysis of gender roles and social pressures in Cote d’Ivoire and Mali

Resulting from a participatory research conducted by Interpeace and its partners Indigo Côte d'Ivoire and the  Institut Malien de Recherche Action pour la Paix (IMRAP), the report entitled Beyond ideology and greed: trajectories of young people towards new forms of violence in Côte d'Ivoire and Mali published in 2016, highlighted how the educational crisis on the one hand, and the search for social recognition and new success models on the other, explain the trajectories of young people towards alternative spaces of socialization, which can lead to (the use of) violence. During the discussions and debates following its dissemination, several questions pointed to the issues of gender. While girls are generally not among the active providers of violence, it is important to highlight their experiences in the path to violence in order to understand their level of involvement and participation. It is also important to understand how these dynamics influence the trajectories of girls, and how education influences them.

On this basis, a complementary research process was conducted jointly in Côte d'Ivoire and Mali to deepen the understanding of the gendered dynamics based on the findings of the previous research.

Among the most important research findings, we found that: A). Society’s expectations of young people, whatever their gender, is focusing more and more on their economic contribution. In fact, the less privileged they are, the more pressure they are under to contribute. B). Though women are beginning to take on a more important economic role, this does not ensure their “emancipation”. However, it brings on a crisis of masculinity for men, who must now redefine and assert themselves in some way. C). Overly strict forms of authority and social control can push certain young people, both boys and girls, towards marginalization, and therefore lead some to carry out violent acts. And D). It is necessary to develop new success models for young boys and girls who have trouble identifying with social models set by traditional and community spheres, by their elders or by school.

These conclusions constitute the launching pad for collective action around the central question of success models set out for young people, both boys and girls, in the region.

"Let’s make History begin on October 2nd": from signing the agreement to building lasting peace in Colombia

A first step to build lasting and sustainable peace in Colombia

On Monday September 26 in Cartagena, Colombia, the Final Agreement ending the conflict between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) was signed. Real peace, however, involves much more than signing an agreement. This is only a first step. An indispensable one, because it generates spaces for coexistence and restores the bonds of trust that violence has broken. As Colombian Human Rights defender, Claudia Mejia Duque explains: "the war in Colombia not only claimed lives, it also destroyed the trust between us and we must work to rebuild it."

Claudia Mejía Duque, Colombian Human Rights Defender, at event: Women Choose Peace in Bogotá, Colombia. Photo credit: Arnoldo Gálvez.

The armed conflict in Colombia is one of the oldest in the world. According to the report of the National Centre for Historical Memory, between 1958 and 2012 there were at least 220,000 people killed, 25,000 missing and 4,744,046 were displaced. "In Colombia we live a true exodus" says Irma Perilla, director of Thought and Social Action, PAS. "Seeing the dimension of what internal displacement is, motivated me to work for this cause: a negotiated solution to the internal armed conflict."

In order to end the conflict with the FARC-EP, the spirit of the agreement negotiated in Havana between 2014 and 2016, sought to guarantee that the violence would stop and never occur again. To achieve this, the agreement should not be limited to the termination of hostilities, it should also be taken as an opportunity to address the structural problems affecting large groups of the population, particularly in rural areas, which have prompted the emergence of different types of conflicts ranging from ideological and political issues, to organized crime. Therefore, the agreement consists of six points, and compliance with each of them is a necessary condition for a lasting and sustainable peace: comprehensive rural reform, political participation, ending the conflict, solution to the problem of illicit drugs, victims of the armed conflict and the implementation, verification and countersignature of the agreement.

52 years of armed conflict come to an end and new challenges and opportunities emerge

After signing the agreement, the main challenge to building peace in Colombia begins: its implementation. "I am very impressed by the negotiations of Havana. The support they had, the content, the fact that they had a gender commission. They are comprehensive, complete agreements, "says Monica McWilliams, Vice-Chair of Interpeace’s Governing Council and signatory to the peace accords in her native Northern Ireland. "The key question is whether there will be proper resources, sufficient commitment and enough political will to implement these agreements." Resources and political will, are the two pillars on which the long process of building peace in Colombia will stand on, which begins the day after the referendum is held on October 2nd.

Monica McWilliams at event organized by Interpeace Latin America, Alianza Para la Paz and the Colombian Police in Bogotá, Colombia. Photo Credit: Arnoldo Gálvez.

A legitimate peace can never be a decision made at the highest political level, but a possibility subject to democratic decision-making mechanisms. What has been signed between the government and the FARC-EP on Monday, must now be endorsed by the Colombian society on October 2, through a plebiscite where all Colombians answer: "Do you support the final agreement to end the conflict and build a stable and lasting peace? " The main concern of those who support the peace process, is that the ignorance of the content of the agreements, decades of mistrust and the pain of the victims, may prevent an affirmative response.

Peace will not be perfect, and if Colombians decide to endorse the agreement, the peace process will be long and complex. However, there can be no possible solution without ending the armed confrontation. The ceasefire itself, which is just a first glimmer of hope for Colombia, has already brought positive benefits. Irma Perilla assures it: "Today, when we have not yet earned the countersignature, this peace process has already given results: no more soldiers have fallen, no more guerrillas have fallen, no more civilians have fallen caught in the middle of the armed conflict.” Monica McWilliams co-founded the Northern Ireland Monica witnessed the profound changes that peace brought in her country, "the daily life of Colombians will dramatically change once you start implementing the peace agreements. The world will see Colombia under a different light, tourists will begin to arrive in the country, investments will increase as investors seek stability. But most important is the life in the communities, the tranquility that will exist in communities. The primary objective of the agreements must be the security and serenity of Colombians."

Rewriting History in Colombia

One of the most difficult aspects to cope with and assimilate during a peace process is the ability of people to talk to their enemies. However, reconciliation is another essential condition to interrupt the cycles of violence. “If Chile and Argentina had to talk about transitional justice to move from military dictatorship to democracy, in Colombia we have to go through the same thing. Only truth, justice and reparation is what will prevent this from happening again. And for those who think that peace will bring impunity, I'm sure that Colombians will not allow crimes against humanity to go unpunished. " Congresswoman Angela Maria Robledo, Co President of the Peace Commission of the Congress of Colombia, added: "We need to start weaving a common story, seated in truth and memory, so that in the midst of our plurality, we can live together".

Congresswoman Angela Maria Robledo, Co President of the Peace Commission of the Congress of Colombia. Photo Credit: Arnoldo Galvez.

The key to peace, said President Juan Manuel Santos when he began to position the peace process, is not in the bottom of the sea, I have it in my pocket. And we went, women, indigenous people, peasants, Afro-descendants, youth, to say, Mr. President, the key to peace is also ours. "

"Many people thought that the end of the conflict between the Colombian government and the FARC was not possible. And now we see that it is possible, "says Monica McWilliams. "Colombia cannot afford to miss this opportunity. It cannot be enslaved by history; they must make history begin on October . "