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WANEP Emphasises The Importance Of Investing In Peacebuilding

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The West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) has urged governments and relevant authorities in West Africa and the Lake Chad basin to invest in peacebuilding as a means of addressing conflict.

The organisation issued the call on Monday, at the start of a three-day training workshop on conflict prevention, violent extremism, crisis management, and peacebuilding in Abuja.

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This was organised by the Research and Action for Peace Network (REcAP Network) and carried out by WANEP, in collaboration with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), with funding from the European Union.

The project aims to create a sustainable, more inclusive, and effective regional network of experts in peacebuilding, conflict prevention, and violent extremism in 18 West African countries and the Lake Chad Basin that will serve as an interactive platform for regional cooperation.

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During his presentation on ‘conflict and conflict prevention,’ Festus Kofi Aubyn, Regional Coordinator, Research and Capacity Building WANEP-Regional, emphasised that authorities often ignore early warning signs that lead to conflict.

According to Aubyn, conflict situations escalate because relevant authorities fail to make concerted efforts to address immediate conflict-causing actions.

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He emphasised that peacebuilding involves allowing warring parties to express their perspectives and reach a compromise to build relationships and resolve conflicts. While also advocating for prevention measures.

He stated, “Conflict prevention is extremely important. We do not always have to be preventive; instead, we can be proactive. This is to prevent conflict from starting in the first place.

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Aubyn proposed systematic, direct, and structural methods for crisis management and peacebuilding, recognising that conflicts are dynamic and require multiple perspectives to be taken into account.

“Poverty and employment can lead to societal conflict if not addressed over time, but cannot be solved through direct or systematic prevention.” However, because this is a time-consuming process, a structural approach to prevention can be used.

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The goal is to reduce violence while also addressing the underlying causes of violence. It is for the long term. It includes a broader range of issues and actors, he explained.

Dr. Bridget Osakwe, Nigeria’s National Network Coordinator for WANEP, stated that resources do not cause conflict unless they are used intentionally. Furthermore, while there are enough resources to go around, they are insufficient to satisfy many people’s greed.

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Osakwe emphasised the importance of conflict analysis in peacebuilding, stating that a conflict-resolution strategy is only effective if it is supported by thorough analysis. Otherwise, positive results are unlikely.

She went on to say that people often confuse peacebuilding and peacekeeping, pointing out that the latter occurs when there is war and the use of military force is implied.

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The speaker emphasised the importance of the government providing basic amenities for citizens, particularly in rural areas. She believes that these individuals only want their easily achievable rights.

She stated that “violent extremism thrives in ungoverned spaces.” Terrorism was easily spread in the NorthEast due to the availability of necessities for locals.

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“Items as small as wheelbarrows were distributed to locals, which for a long time boosted local support for the terrorists’ actions.”

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