| Author | Fitzroy Nation |
| Publication | Conflict Prevention Newsletter |
| Year | vol. 2, no. 1 (Januari 1999), pp. 4-5 |
Keywords
peacebuildingWajir Peace Initiative - Kenya : Back to future dialogue and cooperation
The Wajir peace initiative has taken this remote Kenyan region back to the future, reviving basic methods of conflict resolution used by ethnic Somalis in pre-colonial times to encourage the equitable sharing of resources. Dekha Ibrahim Abdi of the Wajir Peace and Development Committee explains how this was achieved.
Remote and arid, the District of Wajir in Northeastern Kenya sprawls over 56,600 square kilometers but contains a population of only 250,000-275,000. Its landscape, scarred by erratic rainfall (average 200 mm per year), is largely barren. Mainly ethnic Somalis, the region's people are divided into three major clans: Ogaden, Ajuran and Degodia and several smaller ones. They are nomadic pastoralists, shifting herds of camels, cattle, sheep and goats to wherever pasture and water can be found. Eighty percent live in that way, a small but fractious population vying with each other for access to skimpy resources. Suspicions run deep. The mere blocking of access to an animal water pan, or a problem between market vendors, can have an effect akin to applying a match to dry leaves. Over the years, political interference by outsiders added to the tension. Frequent droughts compounded the resource scarcity problem cited as root cause of chronic mistrust between clans and other groups. In recent years, that atmosphere of tension and mistrust has changed. It all began in the early nineties when a discussion by a small group of women attending a wedding - giving vent to concerns about violence - spontaneously gathered momentum and developed into a movement. The Wajir Peace Group formed then to encourage dialogue among the warring parties, has since evolved into the Wajir Peace and Development Committee, showing the value of encouraging community involvement, and the use of dialogue to resolve conflicts. Attending a wedding party in Wajir in 1993, the women could not help noticing the sharp contrast between merriment inside the compound and the violence on the outside. Recalls Dekha Ibrahim Abdi, one of the initiators: 'We looked around and realized that a cross-section of all the clans attended the wedding and we were feeling good. But outside this small compound, the happiness and the mixing was not there. So we discussed at length what was happening within our society.' In the ensuing five years, the group's activities have spread to touch almost every aspect of life in that remote region bordering Ethiopia and Somalia. Now, their focus has moved beyond dialogue. A key element of the Development Committee is the formation of a Rapid Response Team comprising elders, religious leaders and security officers which moves into any part of the district to diffuse tension and mediate in case of conflict or violence. And the Committee is fully involved in the whole life of the community: going beyond keeping peace, fulfilling a mandate to build on the foundation left by cessation of violence. Under the old Somali clan system, what appears on the surface to be a recipe for problems over access was regulated in a basic way through the clan-based system. Throughout the period of British colonial rule, and into Kenyan independence, the pastoral lifestyle - and the traditional system - were undermined by the carving up of property. Boundaries and grazing blocks were set by outside political administrators in accordance with clan allegiance. Measures were introduced to keep the Somali population isolated from the rest of Kenya. In 1992, an intense drought affected 70 percent of cattle and 30 percent of camels. Incidents between the Ogaden and Degodia clans over alleged land encroachment and violation of political space triggered violence and death. In one incident, near Lagbogol, over 20 people lost their lives. Homes were destroyed and livestock stolen. More incidents of violence were reported, continuing into 1993. Members of the security forces were killed. Refugees and weapons were shifted across the border from conflict-ridden Ethiopia and Somalia. Thieves went on the rampage. There were hijackings, looting and arson, rape and murder. It was in that atmosphere that the Wajir women's peace initiative began. Participation widened to include young men working with NGOs and in government departments. Schoolboys joined in. Community Elders were approached. A meeting was convened between Christian and Muslim religious leaders. At the urging of Member of Parliament Ahmed Khalif, all Wajir Elders agreed to form a 28-member committee comprising representatives of various clans, and to a declaration that took stock of the increasing intensity of inter clan fighting. Twenty-five leaders from the major clans - Degodia, Ajuran and Ogaden - and five from Garreh and Murrulle clans, met at what became known as the Al Fatah conference and agreed to stop the inter clan fighting and stock theft. A cease-fire was called to take effect on September 29, 1993. Thereafter, the peace initiative took on a brisk momentum. Infrastructural support was provided by the donor community. Public meetings and discussions involved the full range of community members, including the District Commissioner and religious leaders. A new, more consultative atmosphere developed where previously there had been unremitting tension. Workshops delved into the roots of conflict, and how it related to actual economic conditions. By 1994, the atmosphere had healed sufficiently for discussions to move to a new stage: making peace last. Workshops were held. There were peace festivals. Peace Days. Preventive measures were instituted. At the core of the group's activities was an effort to concentrate on the scarcity of resources identified as an underlying cause of conflict. Thus by 1996, what had begun as an attempt to give form to throwaway comments made at a wedding, had evolved to a new stage. An analysis of drought monitoring data concluded that the next drought would be particularly severe in Wajir South and East. Early intervention measures were instituted: by September 1996, food was distributed to the affected area. As Dekha puts it: 'Drought is one of the major contributors to poverty, and poverty is also one of the contributors to the escalation of conflict to violence. Anticipating the drought and early intervention saved lives and also livelihood of the people affected.' Extensive research was undertaken into ways of achieving permanent peace in the district. When elections approached the group organised discussions involving Elders, chiefs, parliamentarians and candidates to reduce the tension which tended to rise with the pulse of campaigning. Attention was paid to youth training schemes. With structures and mechanisms in place for the clans in Wajir to live in peace, what next? Dekha believes the peace committee's next step is to encourage similar initiatives in neighboring districts and countries. That would involve the establishment of national and regional structures under the auspices of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) for example. 'That is now our big challenge,' she says.
| The Wajir Story A film about conflict transformation in Kenya This is the story of a peace-building initiative which started with a group of women in Wajir, north-east Kenya, spread quickly to all sections of the community, and reached up into government. It is told through the voices of those who took part in it, who mobilised their community to halt escalating violence and who are still struggling to achieve peace and stability for this is not a finished event. The film is the first in a series documenting practical action for conflict transformation and peace-building in Africa. It is intended to assist people working for development, human rights, and peace to learn from each other's experience. By its nature, the film is also a challenge to policymakers of international agencies and governments. The film was commissioned by Responding to Conflict and the Coalition for Peace in Africa, in partnership with Wajir Peace & Development Committee. It was produced by Trojan Horse Productions, with funding from Comic Relief. Orders to: Responding to Conflict 1046 Bristol Road Birmingham B29 6LJ United Kingdom Tel: +44 (121) 415 5641 Fax: +44 (121) 415 4119 Email: enquiries@respond.org |