In Uvira, South Kivu province, around 30 young leaders from different local communities began on Wednesday 4 June 2014 a two-day training workshop on intercommunity conflict resolution

The training took place at Shekina House and was organized by the Political Affairs section of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO), in collaboration with the Intercommunity Consultation Framework of Uvira (CCI/Uvira).

The participating young leaders were from the Bafuliru, Bavira, Banyamulenge, Barundi and Bashi communities located in the Ruzizi plain and Uvira, two territories plagued by recurrent ethnic disputes.

The training was thus designed to allow these young people to discuss among them, understand how conflicts arise and develop, learn about the prevention or resolution of such conflicts through negotiation, dialogue, mediation, communication, as well as learning to resist manipulation.

According to the training organizers, young people not only form the social group that is often victim of conflicts, but have become the main actors in most of the community conflicts in Uvira territory. The youth are often manipulated into creating conflicts to serve the selfish interests of some individuals or groups of individuals.

During the first day of training, the participants, in particular those from the Ruzizi plain, had the opportunity to question the ability of the international community, represented by MONUSCO, to help resolve the conflicts between Barundi, Banyamulenge and Bafuliru communities.

But in this field, said the MONUSCO Public Information officer, the UN Mission’s and humanitarian actors’ role is to help create the conditions that allow the parties to the conflicts to engage in dialogue and reach agreement so as to live in peace with one another.

To which the participants replied that, because of the weight of cultural attitudes, MONUSCO should do more to support them in such mediation role.

One of them, Mr. Evariste Mufahume, said « the territories of Uvira or Fizi have been mired in horrible intercommunity conflicts, and so it is always important that such meetings be organized to allow young people to speak to one another other, learn about one another’s views, overcome any hateful feelings they may have toward one another, as well as strengthen their capacity” in conflict resolution. Another, Ms. Furaha, observed: “the link between the mandate of MONUSCO and intercommunity conflict resolution is unclear, because when intercommunity conflicts erupt, people wonder where MONUSCO is.”

Addressing the participants at the conclusion of the two-day workshop, Mr. Ould Mohamed Elhacen Mohamed Abdellahi, head of MONUSCO office in Uvira, encouraged them to act as peace ambassadors so as to contribute to the implementation of the UN Mission. « Each participant must become a peace ambassador in his/her community, and MONUSCO will support them in that role, provided none of these young people is found to be involved in any conflict»

Laurent Sam Oussou/MONUSCO