Stakeholders applaud USAID State2State activities on conflict mitigation

From Shafa’atu Suleiman, Sokoto

Stakeholders applaud USAID State2State for focus on citizen and CSO engagement to enhance subnational conflict mitigation

After a two-day FY2024 Quarter 4 Conflict Mitigation and Prevention Dialogue in Sokoto, participants resolved to implement activities within a stipulated timeline aimed at strengthening the state’s stability.

In his welcome address, State2State Team Lead, Dr Ladan Abdulkadir, emphasised that the dialogue aimed to build on the benefits of past engagements and chart a path forward.

According to him, “We have had a series of engagements, and now we want to see how this conflict mitigation and prevention dialogue has impacted the citizenry and how it will continue post-State2State engagement.”

State2State Conflict Specialist, Cosmos Dinee, extensively discussed the interactive technical session on day one, titled “Overview of conflict issues identified in Q4 Yr4 and their impacts on the peace and stability of the state.”

The second technical session of the day reviewed the implementation process for the action plans developed during the Q4 Yr4 dialogue.

During discussions on the post-mortem appraisal of the local government council elections, the Sokoto State Independent Electoral Commission (SOSIEC) Executive Chairman, Alhaji Aliyu Sulaiman, commended the commission for conducting free, fair, and successful elections.

Represented by Abubakar Haliru Dange, Commissioner for Operations/Logistics, the chairman stated:
“Against all apprehension, the council elections in the state were conducted peacefully without any hitch.

“This was attested to by all political parties that participated in the elections. The success of the election was attributed to the transparent manner in which SOSIEC carried out its responsibility.”

Day two technical sessions focused on the participation and roles of women in conflict prevention and mitigation, a contextual update on CAF, and concluded with the development of an action plan to address key drivers of conflict and prevent escalation.

Learn2Read representative, Junaidu Umar Jabo (Sardauna Jabo), a Parent Community Leadership (PCL) Specialist, emphasised the importance of scaling down the outcomes of the dialogue and action plans to schools and communities.

Key recommendations to mitigate recurring violent conflict and strengthen the state’s stability included:

• Government addressing security challenges.
• Integrating citizens into early warning systems and conflict response approaches.
• Advocacy to relevant agencies and stakeholders.
• Sensitisation efforts in schools to promote conflict prevention.