Conciliation Resources: Building paths to peace: Bo Peace and Reconciliation Movement

Flip charts

Workshop notes displayed on the walls.

Maintaining peace at community level can make a critical contribution to greater national stability as local disputes from small-scale domestic violence to larger political and chieftaincy conflicts all have potential to escalate into major conflicts if left unaddressed.

Balancing a deep understanding of the cultures and social norms of the communities within which conflicts are being resolved with the ability to carefully challenge the traditions that are central to the conflict dynamics has been critical to building stable and cohesive communities.

Involving the whole community, including traditionally excluded groups such as women and youth, was key to sustaining peace and also made a greater contribution to social justice as the benefits of inclusion were demonstrated by tangible results.

Involving all parties to the conflict in the process of its resolution,including those who have been perpetrators of violence, has been a central factor to having sustained rather than short-term resolutions to conflicts, because each feels that his or her perspectives have been taken into account, and needs addressed, and so feels responsible for living up to the agreement.

In a post-conflict society such as Sierra Leone’s, it was essential to ensure that an initiative providing alternative justice and filling gaps was able to function alongside re-emerging state institutions, fostering complementarity and avoiding rivalry.

Supporting a community-based organization to strengthen its capacity to work effectively at local level and have national impact has involved daily support and long term commitment, sustainability has been enhanced through partnership with an international NGO for over 10 years.