Janet Adama Mohammed is West Africa Programme Director, Conciliation Resources

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I’ve been watching recent news developments from Côte d’Ivoire with a keen, though wary, interest. When there last month I found that the atmosphere in communities was generally good, but there are big – and increasingly evident – tensions lying just below the surface. I'd travelled to West Africa to gather local people’s perspectives on the causes of conflict and what opportunities exist to build peace and security.

You can’t fail to notice a strong-arm military presence on the streets of Côte d’Ivoire, with the FRCI – the national army – posing a powerful and armed contradiction to people’s attempts to maintain a sense of normalcy around the markets and schools.

The destabilising impact of unpredictable men with guns cannot be under-estimated. Communities and even some regional Préfets – the government’s administrative representatives – told me they fear them: not all are properly trained and so they lack a clear understanding of the expected norms that a state army should uphold.

Tension builds and rumours fly

Côte d’Ivoire is a beautiful country with warmhearted people but many are scarred by segregation and previous conflict – people mistrust each other a lot. The establishment at the national level of a truth and reconciliation commission has yet to bear fruit in the capital Abidjan, let alone further afield.

Common themes that cropped up during my travels were concerns around price increases and the justice system. Many doubt the delivery of justice at a local level and also internationally – in light of former president Laurent Gbagbo’s ICC arrest in late 2011 on charges of crimes against humanity, people question why he couldn’t be tried at home, and why he and other defendents are kept so long without trial.

The ex-militia situation is critical in this country. While in the bush or in exile, they feel challenged and bring their anger on communities by attacking and killing people. Some still believe that Laurent Gbagbo will be back to rule the country and they will be free.

Former member of the militia

There is also discontent over what are seen as fabricated stories and empty promises by the legal and political elite. Instead of enriching society with a process of information sharing and healthy debate, people told me that the government and opposition squabble and allow lies to spread. Fear limits political participation and democracy cannot grow strong.

Meanwhile rather than being seen as a vent for their concerns and aspirations, people distrust the media, accusing them of concocting stories and helping to sow disharmony.

Listening to people’s concerns to lay the groundwork for peace

Against this backdrop, our West Africa programme is focused on identifying the key friction points and people’s ideas for what needs to be done to address them. Through these activities we’re aiming to build on more than 15 years of experience in the region and work developed through the EU-funded People’s Peacemaking Perspectives project.

The need for dialogue is there, clearly. So, working with our local partners, Conciliation Resources is going to be creating more opportunities for those exchanges to begin.

In communities I visited, at first people don’t want to talk – there’s a lot of fear. But after working with trusted local Préfets to create a safe space for dialogue, they recognise that we’re open to working with all sides and – jaw-jaw – people begin to open up.

You have a case? Let’s hear it.

Préfet of Soubre, opening a community dialogue session at Buyo

As one community leader told me in relation to his own work in the local area, “we can have an impact if we work small and get the people to trust that there can be change.” Take our dialogue sessions in Buyo – initially people were hesitant to talk, but then someone put on some lively music in the background and the whole mood lifted.

People were full of opinions: small changes, big difference. Communities must have a say in the way they are governed – modest adjustments can result in a real upsurge in trust.

History shows that mistrust breeds fear, as fear fosters violence. But learning to talk through points of discord is a tried and tested way to nurture peace.

Find out more about peacebuilding in West Africa