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Building Peace from the Ground Up: How Early Warning, Early Response Systems Are Preventing Conflict in Northwestern Nigeria

April 2024

The development of an innovative Early Warning and Early Response system in Kaduna and Katsina States, Nigeria, helps to mitigate potential conflicts and violence by fostering local collaboration. Since its operationalization in August 2023, 126 cases were reported, 65 in Kaduna and 61 in Katsina states, and 53 of these cases were successfully resolved within three months.

Insecurity has ravaged numerous communities across the Kaduna and Katsina States of Northwestern Nigeria, casting a long shadow over the region's prospects for peace and sustainable development. Compounded by the menacing presence of armed groups engaged in banditry, kidnappings for ransom and insurgency, these safety and security concerns have severely threatened the livelihoods and stability of the region. Amidst this turmoil, the voices of women and youth remain sidelined in crucial peacebuilding efforts and largely excluded from economic and political spheres.?

UNDP, 缅北禁地Women, OHCHR, and IOM are jointly collaborating with the Governments of Kaduna and Katsina and various local stakeholders, to enhance the peacebuilding and conflict prevention capabilities in these two States. This collaboration involves the design and implementation of joint initiatives aimed at mitigating conflict risks, as part of the project ‘Strengthening Local and State Level Peace Architectures for Peacebuilding and Prevention in Katsina and Kaduna States of North-West Nigeria,’ funded by the Peacebuilding Fund.

A significant achievement of this project has been the development of an Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) system by the Kaduna State Peace Commission (KSPC). This innovative system is designed to identify and address potential threats in the early stages, enabling swift decisions and actions by multistakeholders to mitigate potential conflicts and violence. The EWER fosters collaboration among local community members, youth, security agencies, government representatives, and civil society organizations, to reduce the occurrence of conflict and security incidents. Additionally, this system has empowered communities and Local Government Peace Committees in early detection and response, for effective conflict monitoring and management.

“A needs assessment carried out with a wide range of local stakeholders and supported by UNDP, led to the development of the EWER system. The EWER is a digital system with a network of early reporters trained and supported to provide data relating to conflict situations,” explained Dr. Saleh Momale, Executive Vice Chairman of KSPC.

Subsequently, EWER alert mechanisms have been activated in four Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kaduna and Katsina States to prevent a range of potential conflicts, including from transhumance movements along designated corridors.?

“Today communities living in Sanga, Kauru, Jema’a Local Government Areas (LGAs), that were once prone to conflict, experience quite lower levels of conflict,” added Dr Saleh.

Training sessions bolstered community knowledge and strengthened capacities in data management and early warning systems within 16 communities of Kaita and Faskari in Katsina State, and Kaura and Kachia in Kaduna State, to improve local competencies. These communities were specifically equipped to efficiently share information on transhumance movements, particularly in areas prone to threats. The first Transhumance Tracking Tool (TTT) baseline report for Kaduna state was also compiled, offering insights to local decision-makers on infrastructural needs and transhumance corridors, with four such reports published to date by IOM.

Additionally, 24 Community Response Networks (CRNs) were established facilitating timely information on transhumance, supporting EWER alerts and aiding in community dispute resolutions. A series of consultations and meetings with stakeholders were conducted to foster collaboration, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Pastoral Resolve, and Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN). A total of 92 individuals comprising community leaders, women, youth groups, local government officials and religious leaders, received training on early warning and response systems.?

Approximately 120 stakeholders were trained to ensure human rights-based and gender-sensitive approaches to peacebuilding. This has significantly improved the monitoring and reporting of human rights violations in the two States, particularly those affecting women and girls, and has enhanced the efficacy of security responses in both conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts. Various civil society organizations, including the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), have now strengthened reporting and response mechanisms for human rights violations. The Nigerian NEEM foundation – a crisis response organization that promotes peace through social cohesion and psychosocial wellbeing in communities affected by conflict, violence and fragility - continues to assess human rights gaps in the communities, train mediators and offer psychosocial support to victims of conflict.

Mallam Rabi’u, an Information Officer in Faskari LGA highlighted the impact of these initiatives, stating, “The capacity building has enhanced the work we do and the way we handle complaints and cases from a human rights lens, with gender considerations.”

In both Kaduna and Katsina states, the community response networks, have strengthened referral systems for reporting rights abuses and ensuring victims’ access to justice. To date, OHCHR has processed over 80 reports of violations by non-state actors, affecting more than 200 individuals across diverse communities. With referrals made to the appropriate authorities, 56 of these cases have already been successfully resolved.

‘’Now, the issue of violations has reduced so much. We can report any attack and abuse,” remarked a local from Kachia LGA.

Human rights desks are now set up within the offices of key stakeholders to enhance protection and accountability measures, thereby expediting the redress of human rights violations.

‘’This initiative has greatly helped us, women, and our girls. Through them, issues on gender-based violence (GBV) were addressed,” said Sa’adiyya Yandaki, a women leader from Kaita LGA.

Recognizing the key role of youth as agents of change, the initiative supported the formulation of the first ever Kaduna State Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS), emanating from the Nigeria National Action Plan and outlining strategies for engaging young people in conflict prevention, resolution, and sustainable peacebuilding. The development phase of the Action Plan involved consultations with youth through interviews and focus group discussions, engaging platforms such as the National Youth Council of Nigeria, National Association of Nigerian Students, and the Kaduna State Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security. A diverse group of 41 youths, including 13 women, participated in the EWER training and 50 youths, with 17 women, contributed to the development of the YPS Action Plan, underscoring the crucial roles of both young women and men in maintaining peace and security.

Moving forward, the project will continue to enhance the KSPC’s capabilities, including the establishment of a centralized EWER system for Kaduna State, bringing together the existing frameworks and extending coverage to all 23 Local Government Areas. The KSPC staff will be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively fulfill their roles as early warning responders, peacebuilders and mediators. These measures aim to strengthen KSPC’s role as the primary peacebuilding institution in Kaduna State, ensuring its effectiveness in maintaining stability and fostering harmony throughout the region.