The National Peace Council (NPC) has trained and established a Local Peace Committee (LPC) and community monitors in Kongo in the Tempane District to strengthen peacebuilding efforts and prevent violent extremism.

The formation of the committee, which followed a two-day capacity-building training programme, formed part of the Governance, Rule of Law and Peace building for Sustainable Development Project.

The project is being implemented by the National Peace Council in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with funding support from the governments of Denmark, Norway and South Korea.

Speaking at the end of the two-day capacity-building workshop held at Kongo, Mr Damien Asobayire, the Upper East Regional Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council, said the intervention was aimed at promoting social cohesion, preventing violent extremism and sustaining peace within communities.

He explained that the nine-member Local Peace Committee and 11 community monitors were drawn from various groups within the community, including youth representatives, women, minority groups and representatives of the different ethnic groups in the area to ensure inclusivity in peacebuilding efforts.

Mr Asobayire said the monitors would support the committee by identifying and reporting early warning signs of conflict for timely intervention.

“We have been taking them through early warning signals, conflict resolution and analysis, the role of Local Peace Committees, mediation, prevention of violent extremism and online narratives,” he stated.

According to him, the training was designed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills required to effectively support the Peace Council’s mandate of maintaining peace and stability in communities.

“No community can develop where there is no peace. That is why we are building the capacity of these committees and monitors to support peacebuilding efforts for the advancement of development,” he added.

Mr Asobayire noted that following the training, the committee had developed an action plan to guide its activities and interventions within the community.

He said the committee intended to address some of the recurring petty disputes in the area while also engaging parties involved in farmland and land-related conflicts, which participants identified as one of the major sources of tension in the community.

Mr David Atualing Angaamba, Upper East Regional Principal Project Manager at the National Peace Council, who facilitated a session on conflict analysis and mediation, stressed that mediators were not judges and should not impose decisions on disputing parties.

“The role of a mediator is not to pass judgement but to facilitate dialogue between parties and help them reach an amicable resolution to their disputes,” he said.

Mr Angaamba noted that effective dispute resolution required patience, honesty and sincerity, and urged committee members to demonstrate commitment and transparency in their work.

Participants expressed optimism that the knowledge acquired would enable them to contribute meaningfully to peacebuilding efforts in the community.

Ms Fati Asibobo, a member of the Local Peace Committee representing the Fulbe community, said the training had inspired her to become an advocate for peace and social cohesion.

She pledged to use the knowledge gained to promote dialogue, understanding and peaceful coexistence among the various groups within the community.

Mr Abubakari Aminu Duut, another committee member, also expressed his commitment to supporting the committee’s activities and working with community members to resolve disputes peacefully.

He said the establishment of the committee would create a platform for dialogue and strengthen efforts to address emerging conflicts before they escalated.