Team Blitz India
THE United States and Nigeria have teamed up to tackle and mitigate conflict triggers in northern and middle-belt Nigeria. This partnership aims to address challenges such as ethnic, regional, and sectarian tensions prevalent in various communities.
In the last five years, the US, via USAID, has allocated $15 million to the Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP) programme. This initiative has equipped over 46,000 community members, including traditional leaders, women, men, and youth across six states—Benue, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, and Plateau— with vital skills. These encompass conflict resolution, early warning and response, reconciliation, and strategies to prevent violent extremism.
The CIPP programme has effectively mitigated violent conflicts in vulnerable communities and actively engaged women and youth in peacebuilding processes. A randomised control trial comparing the impact of the programme in target communities versus nearby communities without interventions revealed a notable difference.
Despite an overall rise in violence in Plateau, Benue, and other states, communities where USAID intervened experienced lower levels of violent conflict. For instance, after four years of implementation, only 29 per cent of communities under the CIPP programme reported violent incidents, compared to 55 percent in control communities – marking a significant 26 percent difference.
As part of its closure strategy, USAID plans to transfer certain community structures established by CIPP, such as conflict mitigation regional councils and women peace councils, to its new Peace Action for Rapid and Transformative Nigerian Early Response activity. This transition aims to ensure continuity and sustained progress in the shared mission of promoting peace and security in the northern and middle-belt regions.
