By David Torough, Abuja

International Alert Nigeria has pioneered a groundbreaking model for peacebuilding and stability in conflict-affected communities. Speaking on Friday, the organisation’s Country Director, Dr. Paul Nyulaku-Bemshima, revealed that this model is rooted in practical insights gained from the “Building Stability, Access to Justice, and Preventing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence” project, implemented in communities across Zamfara and Kaduna states.

“We have developed community justice and stability plans, a model that both the government and other organisations interested in peacebuilding can learn from, and we are very happy to share it.

Nyulaku-Bemshima emphasised that the project was executed in Zamfara and Kaduna, the most conflict and insecurity-prone states in Nigeria’s North-West region. He attributed the project’s success to the commitments from communities, governments, and various institutions.

“We collaborated closely with the Ministry of Women Affairs, especially on issues of sexual and gender-based violence. We also engaged with the Ministries of Internal Security, the Multi-Door Courthouse in Kaduna, various security agencies, the media, and most importantly, grassroots organisations,” he explained.

Highlighting some achievements, Dr. Nyulaku-Bemshima noted, “Communities affected by the conflict have taken ownership of their peacebuilding processes. We have set up community dialogue platforms and established physically safe spaces, fully supported by local governments, which have come to recognise the crucial role of women and girls in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. These safe spaces continue to provide psychosocial support to women and girls affected by conflicts and other forms of abuse.”

Furthermore, he remarked that the dialogues held during the project have influenced state and federal government policies to better align with the needs of conflict-affected communities.

“The key component of this project is dispute resolution, which contributes significantly to stability. Dialogue facilitators have excelled in addressing various conflicts. We have numerous success stories where disputes were resolved through dialogue, and women have taken charge of their peacebuilding processes and actively participated in decision-making within their communities. We see this project as just a seed that we have sown—it’s the beginning of greater things to come.

“At the national level, we ensured that some of these key priorities were taken up. We organised two strategic dialogues during the project, bringing together federal-level institutions to inform them about what the communities identified as effective responses to the challenges they face.

“We have submitted a memorandum to the House Committee on Constitutional Review and will continue to follow up, ensuring that our communities’ voices are heard,” he added.

Regarding the project’s sustainability, Dr. Nyulaku-Bemshima assured that it would continue even after its official conclusion. “We have significantly built the capacities of institutions to carry forward the key outcomes we achieved. Inclusivity is a cornerstone of this project. All groups, including people living with disabilities and others previously excluded from decision-making processes, were involved in shaping how this project was implemented.”

Attesting to the project’s success, Musa Aboki, Executive Director of Voluntary Aid Initiative and one of the implementing partners, highlighted its timely impact in Zamfara State, where rising unrest was fuelled by insecurity and a lack of justice.

“This project arrived at a crucial time, helping to quell the growing unrest. Many of our people have embraced alternative dispute resolution platforms through this initiative, having previously been frustrated by delays in justice, the monetization of judicial processes, and the lack of trust in formal judicial institutions.

“We implemented the project in Tsafe and Birnin Magaji Local Government Areas, conducted over 100 dialogue sessions, and peace pacts were signed,” he added.

Chairperson of the Women Peace Mediation Platform (WOPEMP) in Jema’a Local Government, Kaduna State, Grace Yohanna, acknowledged the project’s impact across multiple local government areas, particularly in addressing sexual and gender-based violence—a task too large for the government to handle alone.

“Thank God for the arrival of the safe spaces brought by the project. Typically, when an abuse occurs, it is difficult for a survivor to seek intervention at a centre. They might back out, but with the establishment of these safe spaces, it has become much easier. Women can go in, discuss among themselves, and think about solutions. The intervention has also been instrumental in training women on SGBV referral pathways, ensuring that any necessary medical or legal intervention is provided,” she said.

On his part, executive director for Voluntary Aid Initiative, a local implementing partner to the project in Zamfra state, Musa Umar Aboki described the project as timely, pointing out that it has helped empower the community members in areas of identifying barriers to access to justice and have embraced the local justice system for resolving crisis.

He said that through the project, they have been able to engage community members through their religious leaders and other stakeholders to see the need for developing a community based initiative that would reduce issues of harmful cultural practices that have been going on in some communities.

In their separate responses, the sole administrators of B/Magaji local government, Ishaku Ibrahim and his counterpart of Tsefe LGA, Aliyu Adamu of Zamfra state both affirmed that the people have accepted the project in their communities especially on the gender based violence and promised to sustain their support to ensure the success of the project.

International Alert has been active in Nigeria for the past 11 years, focusing on the reintegration of women and children in the North-East and on security and justice programmes in the North-West, contributing significantly to reducing insecurity in the region.