QUARTERLY REPORT
Engaging Youth as Actors of Peace in Central Mali and Northern Burkina Faso
Period covered in the report: September 15th 2017 – December 15th, 2017
From Search for Common Ground to the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bamako
January 15th, 2018
Contact:
Béatrice Abouya Victor Gauthier
Interim Country Director Program Associate Search for Common Ground Search for Common Ground Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Quarterly Report | Engaging Youth as Actors of Peace in Central Mali and Northern Burkina Faso
Table of contents Executive Summary ...... 3 Program Context ...... 3 Project Activities ...... 3 Target zones mapping ...... 4 Youth identification ...... 5 Youth trainings in Common Ground approach and conflict transformation ...... 6 Challenges and lessons learned ...... 10 Challenges ...... 10 Lessons learned ...... 10 Recommendations and Outlook ...... 10 Annex ...... 11
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Executive Summary Although the signing of the Algiers Agreement in 2015 by prominent warring parties showed a promising opportunity for peace in Mali, two years later, international observers and national stakeholders are still concerned about the lack of progress in the implementation of the Accord and the ongoing deterioration of the security situation. However, unlike the 2012 crisis that unravelled in the North, this time the central Mali serves as the epicenter of instability. Neighboring Burkinabe regions have experienced similar trends since 2015 in a worrying spillover effect, and is increasingly affected by violent extremist attacks targeting police and military stations as well as schools, intimidating the civilian population and threatening teachers and local leaders.
For this reason, Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is implementing a 12-month pilot project to strengthen youth engagement in key communities across Central Mali and Northern Burkina Faso and leverage youth participation towards sustainable peace and stability. Overall, this this youth-led initiative will seek to tackle key issues impeding constructive youth engagement in Mali and Burkina Faso by strengthening leadership capacities of young people to engage constructively around the grievances in their communities and enabling young people to be recognized as agents of positive change for peace, security and resilience.
The action proposed under this initiative will equip Malian and Burkinabe youth with critical conflict prevention and transformation skills, as well as social communication tools, and allow them to undertake action in their communities. More specifically, selected youths will be trained in leadership, Common Ground approach and conflict transformation to provide them with the skills to set-up community fora and collaborative actions in targeted communities. SFCG’s teams will also train youths in participatory theatre and assist them in organizing performances, and develop a youth-led fictional radio soap opera. We estimate that at least 9600 people will be indirectly targeted through the community outreach activities and media programs. Thanks to this project, we will contribute to positively shift local dynamics and increase community resilience in a continuously deteriorating context.
Program Context Throughout the initiative’s first quarter, the security situation in the project’s target zones of intervention has deteriorated. Armed groups are taking control of increasingly large areas, imposing extremist dogmas and threatening civilians of violent reprisals should they cooperate with local authorities. Repeated attacks against government representatives and armed forces highlight these groups’ willingness to undermine the State’s authority.
Koro has been the theatre of increased preaches from violent extremist groups, and reports have indicated that recruitment campaigns are on the rise, with such groups recruiting along identity-based lines. The communes east of Koro (Bondo, Dioungani, Dinangourou and Yoro) constitute their rear base. The situation is such that most state agents and development partners have fallen back. In fact, services are no longer provided in some of these municipalities. Moreover, intercommunity clashes in Koro have become increasingly frequent and an interethnic clash over land, livestock and access to natural resources has taken place in August between Dogon and Fulani people, with tensions still high. Among the different conflicts noted by the project team in the target zones of intervention are the following:
- Intercommunity conflicts between the Dogon and Fulani communities in Diougani; - Conflicts between villages in Anagadia and Karakiné in the commune of Madougou;
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- Conflicts between farmers and herders everywhere in the region; - Conflicts between fishermen in Salo and Maro (Burkina Faso) around access to fishing spots; - Abduction of women.
Insecurity in Mali continues to have significant repercussions at the sub regional level. Asymmetric attacks against local security forces and border patrol led by extremist groups in Northern Burkina Faso having indeed intensified over the reporting period.
In light of this context, the project’s team have been extra careful when implementing the activities and have put safety and caution first, closely monitoring the security situation and adapting the activities and their schedule to its evolution. To mitigate the impact of the context on the intervention, the project team followed a certain number of safety guidelines, among which are the following:
- No travel on “market” day in zones at risk; - Paying attention when crossing check-points and control posts; - Reinforce communication with community leaders; - Immediately suspend activities if the situation escalates into violence; - Always possess the necessary documents (badge or order of mission for example) when travelling for, or implementing an, activity.
By applying these measures and adopting a “community” approach, the field teams succeeded in implementing the training activity in Central Mali. Indeed, by presenting the project to local and traditional authorities as well as putting communities at the heart of the intervention and recruiting staff coming from these communities, the project team managed to create a climate of trust, which facilitated the implementation of the activities. Moreover, SFCG’s regional office is currently recruiting a security consultant to address these questions and develop updated guidelines to be respected when implementing activities.
Project Activities Target zones mapping The initiative targets the cercles of Koro and Bankass in Mali’s Mopti region and the departments of Ouahigouya and of Djibo in Northern Burkina Faso. These zones have been identified by the project’s team after a partner consultation in Bamako as well as a risk analysis to ensure that the project would have the strongest impact and not overlap with existing activities. Within these target zones, 8 were to be identified, including 6 in Mali (Bankass commune and 5 communes within the Koro cercle) and 2 in Burkina Faso (Ouahigouya and Djibo communes).
The target zones mapping took place in Koro’s cercle between November 13th and 18th. To foster key stakeholders’ interest, ensure local-buy-in and receive governmental support in the implementation of the project’s activities, SFCG’s teams met with regional and local authorities. These consultations allowed the teams to understand and cross-check the stakeholders’ priorities, helping them identifying the most relevant communes. In addition to the recommendations collected, the project team took into account the following criteria when selecting the communes:
- Border proximity (Mali – Burkina Faso); - At-risk of violent escalation due to border or intercommunity tensions; - Accessibility (distances);
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- Security and presence of authorities.
Below is the final list of the 8 target zones in which the initiative’s activities will be implemented:
Region Cercle / Department Communes - Koro - Dougoutene I Koro - Dougoutene II Central Mali (Mopti region) - Bondo - Madougou Bankass - Bankass Djibo / Northern Burkina Faso Ouahigouya /
Youth identification The project’s team carried out a stakeholder identification process in Central Mali’s target zones of intervention between November 13th and 24th 2017 to identify key youths to take part in the program. The identification process was carried out through formal and informal discussion groups with youth organizations, women organizations, local authorities as well as traditional and religious leaders to identify a certain number of key influencers. These discussions allowed the project team to develop 6 lists of 20 young leaders, including 30% of women. Having met with the youth leaders, the project team went on to select the project’s beneficiaries based upon the following criteria:
- Age (16 to 35 years old); - Leadership potential; - Availability; - Appreciation of their peers; - Influence; - Ability to mobilize others; - Engagement in grassroots youth-led organizations.
In addition to these criteria, specific attention was put on the ethno cultural diversity and gender-balance of the selected youths to ensure that they represent the constituency of their communes. Moreover, this activity also allowed the team to organize consultations with local authorities, key community and local leaders, including representatives from communal authorities, to present the project in details, explain its objectives and discuss key concepts of youth engagement to ensure support and buy-in from key stakeholders.
Summary table of the selected young leaders in Central Mali: Selected youth Cercle Commune Men Women Koro 12 8 Bondo 15 5 Koro Dougoutene I 15 5 Dougoutene II 13 7 Madougou 12 8 Bankass Baye 14 6
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Total 81 39
Youth trainings in leadership, Common Ground approach and conflict transformation Koro’s training Following the identification processes, the project’s team delivered a series of trainings in Common Ground approach and conflict transformation in Koro and Bankass’ cercles. From December 10th to December 23rd, a youth engagement expert from Search for Common Ground’s Guinea team led the trainings in Koro, with the overall objective to strengthen the skills of key youth leaders to engage positively within their communities, with local authorities and SFCG’s trainer during a module in Koro Centre other stakeholders in the region, act as positive role models in their respective communities, identify and manage conflict and violence, as well as address issues related to the rise of violent extremism in the area. The training was comprised of the following 7 modules on conflict transformation:
- Module 1: definition of conflict and violence; - Module 2: antagonistic versus collaborative approaches; - Module 3: personal responses to conflict; - Module 4: positions, interests and needs; - Module 5: active listening; - Module 6: honoring dignity; - Module 7: conflict analysis.
Participants in these trainings included 111 young leaders from Koro’s cercle and included 42 women.They were divided as summarized in the table below:
Period Groups Communes Participants Training Men Women Total location 13-15/12/2017 1 Koro Centre 25 16 41 Koro’s theatre Bondo 6 4 10 Sub-total group 1 2 31 20 51 16-18/12/2017 2 Dougoutene I 15 5 20 Hôtel Tempéré’s Madougou 6 4 10 meeting room Sub-total group 2 2 21 9 30 19-21/2018 3 Dougoutene II 13 7 20 Hôtel Tempéré’s Madougou 4 6 10 meeting room Sub-total group 3 2 17 13 30 Total 69 42 111
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The training activity began with an opening ceremony in the presence of Koro’s Mayor and the commune’s sub-prefect, who welcomed the initiative and insisted on the importance and need for such projects in the region. The ceremony was also the occasion for the project manager to present and explain the project’s objectives and expected results to the participants and authorities in attendance. Official launching ceremony in Koro Centre
The different training sessions began with the administration of a pre-test to evaluate the participants’ knowledge of the topics to be addressed throughout the modules. Out of the 111 participants, only 21.5% had a good understanding of the topics at hand. Based on these results, the trainer adapted the sessions to facilitate the learning process, following an experiential methodology through brainstorming activities, case studies, presentations and began each module with role plays. At the end of the trainings, a post-test evaluation was organized, the results of which were then compared to the pre-tests’. The results were encouraging and indicated a good assimilation of the modules, as the following increase results show:
- Group 1: 26 participants out of 31 obtained the average or more after the training. This represents an increase of 61% since the pre-test and a 90.3% increase in conflict transformation understanding (only 3 participants didn’t get a better grade).
Group 1: increase in conflict transformation understanding
25 20 15 10 5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Pré-test Post-test
- Group 2: 24 young leaders out of 28 obtained the average or more, representing a 53.5% increase and a 100% increase in conflict transformation understanding (all the participants obtained a better grade);
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Group 2: increase in conflict transformation understanding
25
20
15
10
5
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Note Pré-test Note Post-test
- Group 3: 27 participants out of 30 obtained the average, representing an 80% increase and a 100% increase in conflict transformation understanding (all the participants obtained a better grade).
Group 3: increase in conflict transformation understanding 25
20
15
10
5
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Note Pré-test Note Post-test
Out of 111 participants evaluated at the pre and post-tests, 108 have developed a better understanding of the modules taught, translating into an increase rate of 97.29%. This training has therefore been vastly assimilated by the young leaders, many of whom now feel equipped to go on to assume their role in the project, as the testimonies below highlight.
“Today, I feel a change of behavior at my level. I feel much more social than I was, thanks to this training. Yesterday I apologized to all the neighbors with whom I had been in conflict for a long time. This training is really great since it changes the person who follows it and makes him forgive the other. May God bless SFCG and grant them luck in their activities here in Koro”. Youth leader from Koro
“I want to thank SFCG for giving us the opportunity to follow this quality training. It is through this training that I have sufficiently understood the clear difference between conflict and violence. The training also allowed me to understand that there are several styles of conflict and that among them, the collaborative approach is the answer that leads to a lasting resolution ...... in short, this training was very rewarding for me”. Woman youth leader from Dougoutene I
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To summarize, the training session allowed the project’s team to obtain the following results:
- 3 training sessions, 3 days per session and per group of youth and women leaders; - 111 participants including 42 women are trained and committed to actively participate in the peaceful resolution of conflicts in their respective localities; - 7 of the 7 modules planned for advanced conflict transformation training have been taught using the Common Ground approach based on experiential learning; - The participants as a whole recognized the training’s merit and decided to apply it to the conflicts affecting their respective communities; - Participants say they are ready to become actively involved in the response to conflict in their community by emphasizing the collaborative approach, to the detriment of the antagonistic approach; - 108 out of 111 participants have now assimilated and gained a better understanding of the modules taught, translating into a 97.29% increase in knowledge rate.
Bankass’ training The training activity in Bankass took place from December 14th to December 16th. It consisted of the same 7 modules plus 2 additional modules. The first one was based on the Common Ground approach and the core beliefs behind this approach to conflict transformation. It is based on the following set of principles:
- Conflict is inevitable, violence is not; - Humanity is interdependent; - Change is always possible; - Change lasts when everybody wins; Finding a common ground is important. - Role play exercise in Bankass
The other additional module was based on mediation. It consisted of role plays involving two individuals in a situation of conflict and the techniques to mediate between the conflicting parties. Overall, the training, led by SFCG’s Program Coordinator, followed the same experiential methodology through brainstorming activities, case studies and presentations.
Participants in this training included 33 youths from Bondo and Baye, and included 8 women, as summarized in the table below:
Period Groups Communes Participants Training Men Women Total location 14-16/12/2017 1 Bondo 9 1 10 Bankass house Baye 16 7 23 of youth Total 1 25 8 33
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Challenges and lessons learned Challenges In implementing the training activities, SFCG’s team encountered two difficulties. The first one concerns communication. Indeed, the trainer had difficulty communicating with certain participants who didn’t speak Bambara or French. To remedy this and to ensure that everyone received the message he was conveying, the trainer asked some participants to act as translators. Secondly, more participants than anticipated attended the first training session. Indeed, 48 people attended instead of the 30 expected, causing dissatisfaction and creating tension. To avoid tensions and excluding people, the facilitator accepted all the participants and managed to deliver the training without incidents. =
Lessons learned The project team noted throughout the training sessions that not all participants speak French or Bambara, complicating communications and slowing the modules’ development. Communication will therefore prove to be key during this intervention, and the project team will pay particular attention and adapt to the beneficiaries’ mother tongue in the implementation of the next activities, especially with regards to the media component of the initiative.
Recommendations and Outlook Recommendations At the end of Koro and Bankass trainings, the young leaders came up with the following set of recommendations:
- Deliver the Common Ground training to more communes to render peacebuilding actions more visible in the Mopti region; - Print and distribute the training modules to each participants to allow them to familiarize themselves even more with the modules taught; - Involve more youths from Bankass centre in the activities; - Increase collaboration and communication with local authorities.
Outlook Throughout the next quarter SFCG has planned to implement the following set of activities:
- Youth identification in Northern Burkina Faso will be completed by February; - The youth trainings in Common Ground approach and conflict transformation will be delivered in Northern Burkina Faso over the month of Februrary; - Training in leadership will take place in Koro and Bankass over the months of January and February; - Youth-led collaborative actions will be developed in Central Mali starting January and will continue throughout the quarter; - Identification of young actors and participatory theatre training and coaching; - Youth-led radio program production.
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Annex
This section contains the following elements (in French):
- Success story ; - Koro’s training schedule ; - Pre-test; - Post-test.
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Success story I am Issiaka Somboro, single, father of two, and teacher by profession. I am the 4th vice mayor of the central municipality of Koro and I live in the district Koro 4.
On a Thursday night, the censor of the school I teach in urged his students to observe the holidays earlier than planned, while I still had classes to teach.
Following this unilateral decision, I called him on the phone to remind him of the rules of the public administration that govern the Malian laws in order to make him understand that his decision was The conflict between the high not legal and that Christmas holidays started later. school censor and I was about a misunderstanding around the This triggered discussions that ended up irritating my interlocutor dates of the Christmas holidays. who ended up insulting me. In response, I insulted his family. I Our misunderstandings around confess that I was angry so that if he was in front of me, I would the issue led us to insult each have stabbed him. other so fiercely that I decided to stab him when I saw him. I wanted to avenge myself as soon as I would run into him. Since then, mistrust has been established between us because we do not Thanks to the training I received from SFCG, I changed my mind talk anymore. by going to the censor so that we However, the day after the second day of training on the Common could solve this problem through dialogue and thanks to God, we Ground approach, my heart basically blew. The lessons learned now understood each other. from this training have struck my heart as it has led me to understand that if I cannot resolve this conflict between the censor and I, in a nonviolent way, and that it falls into violence, I would be as an authority, largely responsible, and that would endanger my status as authority.
Because of this, I immediately called him and told him: "if I contact you, it is because I just left a training which morally forbids me to engage in conflict resolution in a violent manner. Forgive me for the insults, I forgive you”.
After we talked, we understood each other, each apologized to the other and we found a common ground by forgiving each other.
I’m very happy with my approach, he even promised to give me a surplus of 2 hours of classes in terms of bonuses in this school at the opening of classes.
We also agreed that, at the end of the month, as soon as I receive my salary from the school, I would give him an amount equivalent to the value of one hour of lessons so that our relations are strengthened even more.
Now, all my thanks go to Search for Common Ground for this training that was long awaited by the Malians in the current situation. This training of extreme importance is necessary to foster a climate of social cohesion among us Malians.
I confess that through this formation, I became an actor of peace in my family, in my community and in all the commune of Koro and its surroundings, because I realize that without peace there is no development.
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Training schedule
Period: 10/12/2017 – 22/12/2017 ------
Time Activity Day 1 8-8:30 Welcoming 8:30-9:00 Opening speeches 9:10-10: Break 10-10:10 Norm definition and selection of note takers 10:10-10:30 Pre-test 10:30-11:45 Ice breaker 10:45-13:00 Module 1: Violence and conflict 13:00-14:00 Lunch break 14:00-14:05 Ice breaker 14:05-15:05 Module 2: Antagonistic versus collaborative approaches 15:05-15:15 Ice breaker 15:15-16:45 Module 3: Personal responses to conflict Day 2 9:00-9:30 Welcoming 9:30-10:00 Reminder of the previous modules 10:00-10:30 Break 10:30-10:45 Ice breaker 10:45-14:45 Module 4: Interests and needs 14:45-15 Lunch break 15:-16:45 Module 5: Active listening
Day 3 8:00-9:00 Welcoming 9:00-9:30 Reminder of the previous modules 9:30-10:00 Break 10-14:00 Module 6: Honour and dignity 14:00-14:30 Lunch break 14:30-16:00 Module 7: Conflict analysis 16:00-16:10 Ice breaker 16:10-16:30 post test 16:30-16:45 Closing ceremony 17:00 End of the training
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Pre-test
7- How is conflict different from violence? (only one answer possible) d- Conflict is inevitable or violence is not: e- The conflict is always violent: f- The conflict builds against violence destroys:
8- Which of the following do you think are conflict styles you know? (many possible responses) Avoidance: Confrontation: collaboration: Accommodation: Compromise: Negotiation: Mediation Intergroup Conflict Ethnic Conflict
9- When it comes to conflict, what is it that: d- A position? Position is what we want Position is what we say we want Position is what we really want e- Interest? Interest is what we really want The interest is that we say we want Interest is what is indispensable to us f- Need? The need is what we needed, vital Need is what we want The need is that we say we want
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Post-test
1- How is conflict different from violence? (only one answer possible) a- Conflict is inevitable or violence is not: b- The conflict is always violent: c- The conflict builds against violence destroys:
2- Which of the following do you think are conflicting styles you know? (many possible responses) Avoidance: Confrontation: collaboration: Accommodation: Compromise: Negotiation: Mediation Intergroup Conflict Ethnic Conflict
3- When it comes to conflict, what is it that: a- A position? Position is what we want Position is what we say we want Position is what we really want b- Interest? Interest is what we really want The interest is that we say we want Interest is what is indispensable to us c- Need? The need is what we needed, vital Need is what we want The need is that we say we want
4- Why is conflict analysis so important? - It takes us to the reconciliation of conflicting parties - It allows us to understand enough all the parameters related to the conflict - It allows us to avoid conflict
5- What advantage can active listening bring to a conflict situation? - Active listening prevents conflict from being created - Active listening is a very effective conflict resolution tool - Active listening helps to understand the interests and needs of each other
6- How is honoring dignity important in the transformation of conflict? - Honoring dignity changes the nature of conflict - Honoring dignity is a starting point for the cessation of hostilities - Honoring dignity creates trust and a sense of interdependence with others
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