News and Insight

The Somali Regional State of Ethiopia (SRS – also known as Ogaden region) has a long history of armed conflict - inter-state wars, clan clashes, insurgencies and counter-insurgencies. Since 1994, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has been waging an armed insurgency against the Government of Ethiopia in the region. It’s a conflict that has threatened the stability, security and development prospects of Ethiopia, but is often overlooked – both regionally and internationally. But in the last two months, the SRS is hitting the headlines – and there seems to be some good news.

In 2016, Dieudonné was kidnapped by a group of armed men as he returned home from working the fields with his family. Along with twenty five other young people from his village, he was forced to march to the training camp of the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

Pioneers of peace often come from communities experiencing violence. Living at the hard-edge of conflict, they feel its effects every day – and are often best placed to understand its causes.

Matar Chaib lives in a war zone. His town of Bria, in the Central African Republic, has been controlled by warring armed groups since 2013. Despite living at the heart of conflict, he knew that peace was possible, and knew that he could make a change to help protect the people of the town.

In the years following 9/11, counter-terrorism laws, regulations, sanctions and policies have proliferated, many with the aim of curtailing non-state armed groups’ access to financial support. Several studies have shown how these measures impact the work of NGOs and civil society organisations providing humanitarian assistance or supporting peace efforts in these volatile contexts. One such impact is bank ‘de-risking’.

This year, the UN’s International Youth Day is championing safe spaces for youth - places where young people can come together, express themselves, and participate in decision making. In peacebuilding, creating these safe spaces is a vital first step in allowing young people to share their experiences of conflict, and work towards achieving a more peaceful future.

We are delighted to have signed a four-year framework contract on conflict prevention and mediation support for the EU, for which we were chosen together with our partners from swisspeace, ESSEC IRENE, CITpax, ECDPM, and Search for Common Ground.

Evidence shows that peace processes that are more inclusive have a better chance of success. But what does it mean to be inclusive and how can this be achieved?

Last week, Conciliation Resources’ launched an innovative new network, which will be a platform for the peer-to-peer learning of women mediators.

There is the opportunity now for progress towards peace in Afghanistan. But to become reality, it needs a new step-by-step approach.