CEJP : Conflicts Significantly Reduced In The Districts Of Nyanza, Rubavu and Karongi

One of the conclusive points of the workshop organized by the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace (CEJP) on August 28th, 2019 in Kigali is that “the number of conflicts previously received by the administration of the 3 pilot districts of its program ‘Promoting participatory governance, conflict prevention and management’ has been significantly reduced in ten months”.

The workshop aimed at sharing experiences with other actors working in the conflict prevention area, to discuss the state of the issue of local communities involved in the program and to identify effective mechanisms for conflict management.
According to Oswald Samvura, Program Manager at CEJP, this program has allowed local or cross-border communities to become aware of the information and exchange mechanisms between them. “Through this program, beneficiaries learn to use dialogue when conflicts arise and to use interactive communication tips between citizens and conflict prevention service providers,” said Oswald.
For Samvura, the program is getting better and better. This can be seen at the level of those who actively participate in meetings and discuss with administrative bodies issues and political decision-making for their social and economic well-being.

Testimonials speak louder

In her testimony, Nyirabukeye Anisiah, a program beneficiary in Nyanza District, said that she felt more open, more aware and more helpful to her community since she became part of the conflict management process. “I dared to resolve the conflict between my neighbour and a family member, who was unfairly demanding compensation for his property damaged during the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994. This eventually gave rise to a reconciliation point and the right one, neighborhood is currently unprecedented,” she testified.

As for Uwizeyimana Béatrice, agent of Nyundo sector (Rubavu), the existence of the groups called “Justice and Peace” has visibly reduced the number of people lining up in front of the administrative offices because of conflicts. “Before this program began, many people came to us for land disputes, domestic violence or situations of intercommunity disagreements, suspicions related to the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in 1994 and its consequences ... but the situation is currently calm. We believe that this initiative has enabled people to gain more knowledge and information about their rights and duties, such as the registration of newborns in the civil registry, the legalization of marriage, etc. . . . Another benefit is close collaboration between conflict management service providers and public authorities.
It gives fruits and we encourage them to move forward,” said Uwizeyimana.
According to experts in the field, like Fidèle Ndayisaba, Secretary Executive of the National Commission for Unity and Reconciliation, conflicts are based on the lack of love, the cooling of relations between people and the lack of truth, central pillar of all nearness and emphatic agreement. For him, mastering and using dialogue in the conflict management process is an effective approach at this level.

Only ten months ago the program exists

Since November 2018, the CEJP has been making palpable changes in conflict management in local communities enslaved by its “Promoting Participatory Governance, Conflict Prevention and Management” program. Funded jointly by the Development and Cooperation Department of the Swiss Cooperation Agency and by Secours Catholique France, this program covers three districts : Nyanza (South), Rubavu and Karongi (East), where it targets an adult population estimated at 154,114 people, of which 66,810 are women (approximately 44%) in 9 sectors, 27 cells and 135 villages.

The main objective of this program is to mobilize and educate the target population on participatory governance and respect for the fundamental rights of citizens. Emphasis is placed on the dissemination of information about their rights and duties vis-à-vis the decisions taken for the development of the country. At this level, it is engaged in interactive communication with districts, civil society and government institutions at different levels for more participation and eligibility.

JMV Uwitonze