Niger
In Niger, our team supports young people, women, civil society organisations (CSOs), administrative, traditional and religious authorities, as well as local peace mechanisms and structures.
Our work aims to:
- strengthen social cohesion,
- improve local actors’ capacities for conflict prevention and management,
- promote conflict-sensitive and gender-responsive programming, and
- support various humanitarian, development and peace programmes.
Our efforts are based on in-depth training and analysis to improve social cohesion and community resilience in a context of growing insecurity and climate change.
Our approach prioritises conflict sensitivity in natural resource management and advocates for adaptive strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change in fragile areas.
As part of its peacebuilding initiatives, our team recognises the urgent need for violence prevention. Our objectives empower communities and stakeholders to see the immediate impact of their actions.
We have helped partner organisations, local authorities, and technical services improve their communication channels with communities. We enhance their capacity and knowledge through thorough needs assessments, conflict sensitivity analyses, and study validation meetings. We contribute to building trust and improving interactions between leaders and the community, and between communities themselves (vertical and horizontal cohesion).
We contribute to actions that facilitate equitable access to services and natural resources, and work with communities to prevent new conflicts while supporting collective action in response to climate shocks in a fragile context.
Context
The security situation in the Sahel region has deteriorated in recent years, particularly in Niger, where there is an alarming rise in violence and violent extremism. This spike is fueled by tensions between various terrorist groups and certain members of local communities. The escalation of violence is further exacerbated by weak local mediation and conflict resolution mechanisms.
Access to and management of natural resources have also led to inter-community conflicts within and between different ethnic groups. In this context, transhumant pastoralism remains a vital way of life and a source of resilience for rural populations.
Climate change is intensifying pressure on resources in Niger due to rising temperatures, rainfall variability, and the increasing frequency and intensity of droughts and floods. These environmental changes, alongside existing pressures on land for agriculture and grazing, have led to a greater scarcity of resources. This scarcity has heightened competition for access to resources, leading to conflicts, particularly between herders and farmers, as well as between local communities and internally displaced persons or refugees.
Violent extremist groups leverage weak natural resource governance for their communication, legitimisation, and mobilisation strategies within communities. They exploit existing social divisions and create strong alliances by tapping into the frustrations and grievances of specific groups. The root causes of land conflicts are primarily political in nature. In the Sahel, these political factors include the legitimacy and capacity of the state or traditional authorities to mediate land disputes, as well as the balance of power between communities, such as sedentary farmers and nomadic herders.