Also available in French (en français)In 2022, amidst a backdrop of growing violent extremism in the region, NDI launched a pilot preventing/countering violent extremism (P/CVE) program for youth in Abala, a commune in Niger. The program also integrated social and behavioral change (SBC) research and approaches in youth-political party programming from 2022–2023. The primary objective of the pilot was to establish youth as the experts on their lived experience of violent extremism. The pilot did so by bringing rural and village youth together to understand the intersectional risk of violent extremism in their commune and to design programming by and for youth to address that complex threat. With the understanding that women in Niger, especially in rural communities, were not bystanders in violent extremist operations (instead involved in recruitment and funding), gender was also a central aspect of this pilot’s intersectional approach. The program included a subsequent phase aimed at bringing youth leaders together with community and political party leaders to advocate for youth-led P/CVE analysis and programming. This phase held considerable risk due to the stereotypes and intransigent beliefs held by youth and political leaders in Niger. Acknowledging that these deep-seated stereotypes and beliefs presented real barriers to successful outcomes, NDI reached out to Beyond Conflict to work with local partner SOS Civisme to research, design, and integrate experimental SBC research and interventions. These included radio programming and community dialogues that targeted norms and beliefs concerning youth that were being perpetuated by elites to maintain their exclusionary systems of power, such as the notion that youth lack decision-making and leadership capacity. The programming also focused on the importance of youth leadership and agency in P/CVE efforts.Based on findings from this joint initiative, this policy note presents considerations and recommendations to better understand and address youth vulnerability to violent extremism in Niger. More broadly, the note demonstrates the under-utilized potential to incorporate behavioral science into P/CVE programming for greater, more durable impact. Suggested citation: Van Metre, Lauren, Jasmine Ramsey, Opeyemi Adeojo, and Karen Bernstein. Youth, Social and Behavioral Change, and Violent Extremism in Niger. Washington, DC: RESOLVE Network, 2024. https://doi.org/10.37805/pn2024.1.lpbi. This project discussed in this Policy Note was funded by a grant from the National Endowment for Democracy.This publication was produced with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Africa Bureau. RESOLVE would like to thank USAID’s Africa Bureau for its generous support for this report and RESOLVE’s Learning from Local Peacebuilding Approaches Research Initiative.The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the RESOLVE Network, acknowledged partners contributing to the production of this publication,the U.S. Institute of Peace, or any entity of the U.S. government. Home Page Photo by Michel Isamuna on Unsplash
Nomadic Pastoralism and Everyday Peace: Key Evidence and Lessons for Peacebuildi...
This research report is a case study on local peace practices within pastoralist communities in Kenya’s Turkana North (a subcounty of Kenya’s Turkana County). While significant existing research and analysis has focused on the concern that pastoralist communities across the African continent may contribute to growing violent conflict—and in particular to violent extremism—this report instead situates these communities within the theoretical framework of “everyday peace.” This framework centers on understanding the myriad ways in which ordinary people in conflict-affected contexts engage in small acts of peace and forge pro-social relationships that contribute to peace and stability within their communities. This report explores these everyday practices of peace within pastoralist communities in Kenya’s Turkana County, and Turkana North subcounty, a borderland territory that connects Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Uganda with a long history of conflict around inter-clan livestock raiding and cross-border movement/land access. Informed by a multi-method research methodology that included semi-structured interviews, focus groups, historical profiling, transect walks, and non-participant observational data collected in August 2022, the findings from this study highlight both the existing local systems and resources for peacebuilding and conflict mitigation in pastoralist communities in Turkana, as well as the stressors and challenges that affect them. Lessons from this research contribute to our broader understanding of how policymakers and practitioners can work to better assess and coordinate violence prevention and reduction efforts in light of specific pastoralist needs and everyday practices of peace, particularly in areas impacted by violent conflict and/or violent extremism where pastoralist communities exist. Suggested citation: Wafula, Caleb Maikuma. Nomadic Pastoralism and Everyday Peace: Key Evidence and Lessons for Peacebuilding and Conflict Mitigation from Kenya’s Turkana North. Washington, DC: RESOLVE Network, 2024. https://doi.org/10.37805/lpbi2024.2. This publication and research were produced with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Africa Bureau. RESOLVE would like to thank USAID’s Africa Bureau for its generous support for this report and RESOLVE’s Learning from Local Peacebuilding Approaches Research Initiative.The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the RESOLVE Network, acknowledged partners contributing to the production of this publication,the U.S. Institute of Peace, or any entity of the U.S. government.
Trauma, Violence Prevention, and Reintegration: Learning from Youth Conflict Nar...
This research report is a case study on the relationship between trauma, peacebuilding, and reintegration for conflict-affected youth in the Central African Republic (CAR) following the 2019 peace agreement. Based on qualitative research fielded in Spring 2022, the study examines how youth experience conflict, trauma, and reintegration in CAR, highlighting individual experiences through a participant narrative approach. In doing so, the report provides localized insight into the challenges that impact social reintegration and cohesion in fragile, conflict-affected contexts. The report further underscores the implications of these insights for local and international efforts to establish peace and security through disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) programs and community violence reduction (CVR) initiatives.In addition to standard data collection methods such as interviews and focus group discussions, data collection undertaken for this report utilized a trauma-informed method called body mapping. The use of body maps—life size images of a human body with visual representations of experiences— in research can offer a means for individuals to reflect on potentially difficult experiences through a non-verbal process. Given the potential relevance of this tool in future studies examining the nexus between conflict, reintegration, mental health, and trauma, this report also includes discussion of the implementation of this method with considerations for others hoping to adapt it for their own use.Suggested citation: Zerla, Pauline. Trauma, Violence Prevention, and Reintegration: Learning from Youth Conflict Narratives in the Central African Republic. Washington, DC: RESOLVE Network, 2024. https://doi.org/10.37805/lpbi2024.1.This publication and research were produced with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Africa Bureau. RESOLVE would like to thank USAID’s Africa Bureau for its generous support for this report and RESOLVE’s Learning from Local Peacebuilding Approaches Research Initiative.The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the RESOLVE Network, acknowledged partners contributing to the production of this publication,the U.S. Institute of Peace, or any entity of the U.S. government.
