Program Summary

This program focuses particularly on facilitation, knowledge, and implementation of traditional mechanisms and education in the field of conflict resolution and peace building. Although we have observed, in the last two years, a significant reduction of violent conflicts in the West African sub-region, the fact still remains that, continent-wide, some conflicts have become even more intense. When looking at the evolution of these conflicts since their outbreak, it is clear that, most of the time, the protagonists did not benefit from the early intervention of organizations or actors capable of facilitating the prevention of clashes.

On the other hand, in their interventions, facilitators do not often put value on the conflict resolution mechanisms and procedures which African societies have always had, because they do not know them.

Even in cases of intervention after the first hostilities and the subsequent cease-fire, opportunities for real dialogue are seldom proposed to the protagonists, especially to the “intermediate” components who are rarely the focus of attention of “senior diplomats” and other “special envoys”.

Analytically, it appears that these actors at the intermediate level (leaders of the party’s youth movements, influential members of parliamentary groups, some senior officials, associations of businessmen and professionals, etc.) often constitute the group in which the “top leader” finds his most influential advisers. We intend to focus our facilitation actions mainly on this intermediate segment between the “top leadership” and the “grassroots”.

Our focus

Our objective is to improve knowledge and practice of conflict resolution in Africa and facilitate dialogue in situations of crisis or potential crisis. We do this ensuring a commitment to increase the quality and level of involvement of women in conflict prevention. As such, we focus on the generation of innovative and in depth knowledge through research that provides a more accurate understanding and a less partisan appreciation of the elements of the conflicts in question, as well as an improvement of the capacity to analyze conflicts.

Our facilitative role is supported by our provision of a non-threatening space of quality for constructive dialogue; and also by our expertise that contributes to an emergence and consolidation of a new approach to the facilitation of political dialogue through a structured knowledge of traditional African methods.

Our Approach

• Identification of the scope of potential conflict and a study of the constellation of actors involved
• Creating synergy between stakeholders
• Encouraging consultation between the protagonists and identifying ideal process
• Holding workshops on conflict transformation for the protagonists
• Monitoring the dispute resolution process
• Publication of case studies and of the lessons learned