In West Africa, cross-border conflicts have been intensified by ineffective natural resource management, compounded by climate change and other socio-economic pressures. In response to these conflict dynamics, Interpeace and its local partners have developed innovative programming that strengthens collaboration among cross-border communities in Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. These efforts aim to enhance social cohesion, promote economic development, and build resilience against climate shocks.
The regions of Sikasso in Mali and Hauts-Bassins in Burkina Faso are pivotal to the stability and prosperity of the Sahel. With rich agricultural potential, these areas serve as vital trade hubs and are often referred to as “green lungs” of their respective countries. Their abundant natural resources support millions of livelihoods but have also become points of tension in the face of governance gaps and environmental stress.
Conflict Dynamics and Climate Pressures
Research conducted by Interpeace in 2021, funded by the PATRIP Foundation, revealed three major conflict dynamics in key cross-border areas, notably between Koloko (Burkina Faso) and Finkolo (Mali), as well as between communities in the Cascades region (Burkina Faso) and the Tchologo (Côte d'Ivoire).
First, competition over land ownership and usage have escalated since agriculture remains the main income-generating activity. Farmers expand their land beyond traditional boundaries, which increases tensions over access and cultivation rights.
"The first person to cultivate a piece of land cuts down their field to go beyond the old boundaries. Then the other one comes along, realises that where he was cultivating, the boundaries are no longer the same; they have been crossed by the other. This is what leads to many quarrels," explained a local farmer from Koloko, Burkina Faso.
Second, conflicts between farmers and herders have become more frequent. Expanding farmland has reduced available grazing lands, prompting violent clashes with transhumant herders, nomadic pastoralists who seasonally migrate in search of pasture.
Third, women and youth’s exclusion from conflict management processes has limited community resilience. Despite their critical role in resource use and management, women and young people are often marginalised in decision-making structures in culturally male-dominated societies.
Climate variability, land degradation, and unsustainable land use practices aggravated by climate change – have increased competition for diminishing resources. Marked by shorter rainy seasons, scarce rainfall, frequent natural disasters, deforestation, and desertification, climate change has effectively worsened pre-existing conflict dynamics. Increased migration by transhumant herders into already fragile areas has heightened tensions, complicating agricultural planning and livestock management. The resulting pressures have triggered recurrent intra- and inter-community conflicts.
To help build lasting peace in these communities, Interpeace has implemented a three-pronged strategy: promoting participatory dialogue, supporting alternative livelihoods and investing in community infrastructure that promotes coexistence.
Strengthening Social Cohesion Through Community Dialogue
Participatory dialogue was carried out through three main approaches. In the first project phase, Interpeace conducted community consultations in the form of inter-community and intra-community dialogues. This process created a platform to raise awareness about preventing conflicts related to natural resource exploitation.
Cross-border commissions were established, comprising community members, local authorities, and technical agents. These commissions not only serve as frameworks for inter-community integration but also function as tools for conflict prevention and management. They also serve as complaint mechanisms and facilitate peaceful resolution of conflicts.
Interpeace, in collaboration with implementing partners — Association SOS Enfants and Association Esther Vision in Burkina Faso, and Action pour le Développement de l'Initiative Locale (ADILO) in Mali — carried out awareness-raising activities through conferences and educational talks. Four civil-military dialogue frameworks were established; alongside educational talks, cross-border fairs, and community theatre performances aimed at promoting coexistence in the border areas.
These forums focused on natural resource management along the border strip. The fairs, held in both regions, attracted over four thousand participants, including community leaders, as well as administrative and political authorities. They featured traditional music, dance, and local food.
According to participants, the fairs provided an opportunity to rediscover shared values between cross-border communities.
"Today, we realise the importance of collective effort. We cannot achieve peace without working together. We understand each other better, and we continue to work together. Thanks to the programme interventions in our communities, we prioritise negotiation over confrontation and maintain open discussions," noted Zana Alassane, a member of the Zanapledougou community in Côte d'Ivoire.
The establishment of a culture of dialogue between Malian, Burkinabé, and Ivorian communities has reunited populations who, due to past tensions, had ceased socialising or participating in joint events.
A significant decrease in tensions linked to natural resource exploitation has been reported in the past two years. Local incident reports compiling data from cross-border commissions and local authorities revealed only minor incidents in 2024, with no major conflicts over natural resources reported.
"The programme has opened our eyes. Today we know how to behave, and, above all, we are aware of the importance of working together to solve our problems," said Coulibaly Blama, a youth leader in Ouarga community, Côte d'Ivoire.
Building Better Livelihoods to Reduce Pressure on Natural Resources
The programme also introduced alternative livelihood activities by supporting community members, particularly vulnerable youth and women, in developing environmentally friendly, climate-resilient, income-generating initiatives. This approach aimed to empower these vulnerable community members, enhance their contributions to social cohesion, and reduce dependence on the exploitation of natural resources. The activities included improved seed farming, small livestock breeding, and local product processing. Community members also learned innovative agricultural techniques that increase productivity without requiring vast land or causing land degradation. These included sedentary breeding of small ruminants, a sustainable practice that eliminates the need for transhumance tracks during the rainy season; production of soumbala (fermented locust beans), which focuses on processing local products instead of exploiting natural resources; and beekeeping, which has helped reduce reliance on traditional land exploitation as the sole income source. These practices have diversified livelihoods while promoting environmental sustainability and social cohesion.
Community-based joint processing factories, a women's poultry breeding centre, and storage warehouses have been established to foster collaboration and improve socio-economic conditions. To sustain these initiatives, community members have been trained in managing income-generating activities and financial literacy.
“Poor livelihoods caused by climate change have also been a source of conflict in our communities. This programme helped us create income-generating activities. Thanks to the training I received in the production and sale of Soumbala, I have improved my product and can meet my family’s needs. I no longer have time for quarrels with my neighbours, as I am busy with my business,” said Odette Sanou.
Investing in Shared Community Infrastructure
Complementing livelihood support, the programme has invested in essential infrastructure, such as modern community markets, renovating water wells, and dams as well as health centres, linking income-generating activities and offering joint resource sites. Drinking water supply systems have also been built to provide potable water and help reduce conflicts over water resources.
These initiatives have brought communities closer together and reduced both intra- and inter-community tensions. The infrastructure not only meets the needs of the population but also strengthens social cohesion and grassroots socio-economic development.
The experiences of Sikasso, Hauts-Bassins, and Tchologo show that strengthening participatory natural resource governance, promoting climate-resilient livelihoods, and investing in conflict-sensitive infrastructure are vital pathways to peace in fragile regions.
As climate change continues to amplify risks, there is an urgent need to scale up these approaches, support local leadership, and embed collaborative frameworks that bridge communities and authorities. Building resilience to climate stresses is not just an environmental imperative but a peacebuilding priority for West Africa and beyond.
More than three decades after the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, a significant portion of the population continues to grapple with its enduring effects on mental health.
Mukagaju (pseudonym), a survivor of the Genocide against the Tutsi, suffered from PTSD for 29 years. Although the genocide ended three decades ago, in her mind, it was still an ongoing nightmare. She continuously relived the harrowing scenes of screaming, running, hiding, and the killings she witnessed during the 100 days of horror. Due to the lack of appropriate support, she turned to prayer, hoping for healing, but to no avail.
"I was unable to sleep, suffered from terrible headaches, and was terrified of being alone. I would stay awake, hyper-alert throughout the night, hiding at the slightest sound or whenever I heard footsteps near my house, believing the perpetrators were coming for me and my children," she recounted.
Over the past three decades, the Government of Rwanda has made commendable strides in addressing the mental health burden by decentralising mental health and psychosocial support services to the health centre level and integrating them into primary healthcare.
However, national efforts face significant challenges, including insufficient funding, limited awareness and understanding of mental health, pervasive stigma, and a shortage of mental health professionals. The high prevalence of mental health conditions and the low utilisation of available services further exacerbate these issues.
The 2018 Rwanda Mental Health Survey (RMHS) by Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) indicated a prevalence of mental disorders at 20.49%, substantially surpassing the global average. Today, that rate is likely higher than reported in 2018. In 2023, RBC reported that one in five Rwandans experiences mental health challenges, with 2,879 suicide attempts documented by the Health Management Information System (HMIS).
By June 2024, HMIS identified schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders (18%), depression (10%), bipolar disorder (2%), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (2%) as the most common diagnoses. Globally, it is projected that by 2030, mental health disorders—particularly depression—will rank as the leading contributor to the global burden of disease. Furthermore, the intergenerational trauma stemming from the genocide continues to jeopardise the mental well-being of younger generations. Despite the high prevalence of mental health conditions, only 5.6% of the population seeks services from formal mental health care systems, according to RMHS.
According to Rwanda’s health workforce statistics, the country has only 16 psychiatrists (a ratio of 1 per 862,400 people), 441 certified clinical psychologists (1 per 31,289 people), and 202 mental health nurses (1 per 68,400 people) working in public facilities. These professionals primarily employ a one-on-one approach and often prioritise pharmacological treatments over psychotherapy.
Mukagaju eventually overcame her trauma after joining a Resilience-Oriented Therapy healing group established at Rukira Health Centre in Ngoma District, Eastern Province of Rwanda, six months ago. “Today, I sleep peacefully after years of fear and hypervigilance. Nothing frightens me to the point of fleeing my home at night, because now I know we are not in the middle of the genocide. I’ve learned to control my fears whenever they arise,” she joyfully explained.
Resilience-Oriented Therapy is a psychological intervention designed to address mental health issues related to emotional regulation, identity development, behavioural self-management, and the enhancement of individual psychological resilience within a group setting. Introduced in health centres in October 2023 through a joint effort by Interpeace and the Government of Rwanda, spearheaded by RBC, the therapy aims to provide a sustainable, cost-effective solution to the challenges posed by the high prevalence of mental health disorders.
Resilience-Oriented Therapy not only addresses mental health issues rooted in traumatic events such as the genocide but also supports individuals facing conditions triggered by various life circumstances. For instance, Uwimana (Pseudonym), who attempted suicide twice due to depression after suffering mistreatment from her husband—who abandoned her while she was four months pregnant—shared her transformative experience.
"I tried to throw myself and my children into the river because I thought ending our lives was the only way out of my pain. I didn’t want to have another child after being abandoned. This group has helped me; I no longer feel stressed or depressed. I’ve found inner peace, and now I am determined to raise my children with hope for a brighter future," Uwimana said, holding her five-month-old baby, who she noted would not have been born had she not joined the Resilience-Oriented Therapy group at Nyakigezi Health Centre, Rugera Sector, Nyabihu District, Western Province.
Resilience-Oriented Therapy represents the first group-based intervention introduced within formal health facilities in Rwanda. It is currently available in 32 health centers and seven district hospitals across five districts—Musanze, Ngoma, Nyabihu, Nyagatare, and Nyamagabe—and is administered by trained psychologists or mental health nurses. To date, 446 individuals (308 women and 138 men) have benefited from the therapy.
The therapy is tailored to Rwanda’s specific cultural context, while incorporating international best practices, ensuring its relevance and effectiveness.
The healing process spans six months, with the group convening for weekly three-hour sessions. Through this intervention, participants acquire psychosocial skills for trauma management, emotional regulation, self-care, and resilience building, equipping them to navigate daily challenges and adapt to evolving circumstances.
Dr. Jean Damascene Iyamuremye, Director of Psychiatric Care at RBC, recognises the positive impact Resilience-oriented therapy has had on the community and advocates for its nationwide expansion. "This is an innovative approach compared to the one-on-one approach we have been using. We have observed considerable progress since its implementation. In the community, people are now more motivated to seek professional help at the early stages of their mental health challenges. They have found healing and solace, and our hope is to scale this therapy across the country. It’s a community-based intervention we deeply appreciate, as it has also enhanced the overall quality of care,” Dr. Iyamuremye remarked. Interpeace is working with RBC to scale up the intervention across the country.
