From February 2022 to October 2023, as part of the Mediation Consortium, under the project “Support for mediation for resilience and peace in Ituri and Great North Kivu”, funded by the European Union and implemented by Interpeace, Pole Institute, Action for Peace and Concord (APC) and the Center for International Cooperation at the New York University, several activities were carried out. They ranged from consultations to participatory action research, capacity building of local actors and support for mediation/dialogue processes. All were in line with the national strategy of the Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization Program (P-DDRCS) and the latter's provincial operational plans, in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. As the project implementation period draws to a close, the consortium partners, in consultation with supported mediators and other stakeholders, have identified ten lessons learned during the mediation process in Ituri and Beni. This report presents these as well as the processes that generated them. It also includes descriptions of significant changes and impacts to which the project may have contributed in the intervention areas. By sharing these lessons, we hope that they will contribute to the understanding of the role of internal mediators and how international and national communities can support these actors in their conflict prevention and resolution efforts.
Strengthening conflict prevention and local security governance
This video shows how collaborative frameworks are being put in place to boost synergies between local communities and security institutions in Burkina Faso. The approach that is being used is called “circles of peace” which offers inclusive spaces that encourage the active participation of women in building community resilience. This approach is promoting social cohesion and strengthening the consolidation of peace.
With funding from the Government of Canada through the Stabilization and Peace Operations Programme (SPOP), Interpeace has implemented these innovative initiatives that are transforming the way people and defense, and security forces work together to ensure peace and security in the Boucle du Mouhoun, Centre-North, Sahel and East regions of Burkina Faso.
Understanding and preventing political violence in Côte d'Ivoire (PREDIA 2021 - 2023)
A video tracing the activities carried out as part of the PREDIA project in Côte d'Ivoire, working to understand the factors that make an area vulnerable to political violence and to set up equipped Cadres de Collaboration acting to prevent such violence.
Saoudata and "peace circles" help women in Burkina Faso
Saoudata Ouedraogo is a woman who is very committed to her community, and who is spearheading an initiative to strengthen women's resilience and their contribution to peace in the commune of Kaya.
"I am Madame Ouedraogo Saoudata, president of the women leader's network for tolerance and peace in the North-Center region, and also regional coordinator of the women of the North-Center region.
Since the beginning of the crisis, I have seen a real need to work with women on issues of tolerance, living together, social cohesion and peace in my commune. Indeed, the displacement of populations creates discomfort and requires a great deal of adaptation on the part of both the displaced and the host populations. That's why I decided to work in particular with internally displaced women by setting up "Peace Circles" with 50 women, so that they can cultivate the spirit of resilience and peace for a better way of living together in the host areas.
The implementation of the "Improving conflict prevention and security governance in Burkina Faso" project has been an essential and vital contribution to the continuation of my work with women victims of the country's security situation. Indeed, thanks to this project on security governance, I benefited from training on the Peace Circles tool and conflict transformation.
Following the training, I had a better understanding and knowledge of the "conflict sensitivity and proactivity for peace" dimension. I therefore decided to share this capacity-building initiative with 50 other women from the host community.”
This initiative thus enabled the 100 internally displaced women and women from the host community to mix. This helped them to carry out income-generating activities (IGAs) in harmony with each other, so as to contribute to the costs of their households and live with more or less dignity.
Saoudata Ouedraogo's action, praised by her community, has helped reduce latent tensions and has improved the living conditions of these women.
The project was implemented by Interpeace, with funding and technical support from the Canadian government through the Stabilization and Peace Operations Program (SPOPs). Its aim was to improve the level of security in the target regions of Sahel, East, Centre-North and Boucle de Mouhoun in Burkina Faso, through the involvement of women in particular, as part of a peacebuilding approach.
Coach Abou, from victim to peacemaker
Coach Abou recounts his experience in Béoumi (Côte d’Ivoire), and how he was able to transform the trauma he suffered during the Ivorian crisis into a peace-building impetus, thanks to the Collaboration Framework of Interpeace's PREDIA project.
“Cadres de Collaboration”, a social innovation for peace
Interpeace's PREDIA project supported the implementation of “Cadres de Collaboration”, a highly specific and innovative social engineering approach to conflict prevention and resolution in Côte d'Ivoire.
