Post-insurgency: IPCR trains 250 peace volunteers in Borno

By Sadiq Abubakar

Maiduguri

The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has trained and inducted 250 community peace volunteers (CPVs) to carry out advocacy drive on peace building and conflict resolution across the 27 local government areas of Borno state.
Director General of the Institute, Prof. Oshita O. Oshita, disclosed this at the weekend during a training workshop and inauguration of the community peace volunteers, held at Dujima international hotel conference hall, Maiduguri.
According to Oshita, the project which was supported by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) was aimed at promoting peace and dialogue among conflicting parties and targeted at reaching amicable conflict resolution among communities.
Prof Oshita, who was represented by the IPCR Director, Mr. Chiotu Nnamdi, said that the project was timely, considering the nature of the state which suffered serious conflict occasioned by the Boko Haram insurgents.
He added that the training and inauguration of the community stakeholders was also aimed at equipping them with relevant information, data, ideas, rules, mechanisms and methodology for the peace building project.
In his remarks, the North East IPCR peace building project coordinator, Mr. Chukwuemeka Mbah, noted that the institute had identified Borno as a fragile state which was ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency, saying the situation informed the implementation of the project in collaboration with all the stakeholders and donors agencies in the state.
“From our research in IPCR and from open source intelligence, we have identified Borno as a state that needs a lot of interventions in terms of peace and coexistence. After this insurgency, a lot has happened; there is a lot of mistrust, hatred and we need to really start fostering coexistence,” Mbah said.
“Borno is a very fragile area where we need a lot of interventions, especially now that things are going back to normal. This is what we call the early recovery stages of conflict and that is where peace building has to be brought in,’’ Chukwuemeka added.
He said over 200 participants were engaged in each of the selected local government areas of the affected states for the advocacy and dialogue project on peace building and conflict resolution among communities.

 

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