French embassy unveils strategy to enhance peacebuilding in Nigeria

The Embassy of France has launched a new strategy it says will help CSOs working towards peace initiatives in Nigeria.

This, it said, is a way to reaffirm the commitment of the French government to support such projects.

Nigeria is presently grappling with security challenges in many parts of the country ranging from armed robbery, kidnapping, insurgency and banditry.

Strategy

The French said their new strategy is aimed at helping the ‘humanitarian-development-peace nexus ”by providing an integrated response to emergency security situations.”

Speaking at a forum in Abuja on ‘rural violence and insecurity in Zamfara State’, the Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of France, Guillaume Audren De Kerdrel, said the strategy is for the next four years.

He said a ‘Humanitarian Development Partners Nexus’ workshop is ongoing in Maiduguri. He also said the implementation of this strategy will encourage other initiatives.

“In the North-west and more specifically in Zamfara, we are also encouraging the actors to implement inclusive approaches including all stakeholders for a better understanding and subsequently a more efficient response to a complex situation,” he said.

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Earlier, the founder of the ‘Pastoral Resolve’, Abubakar Jauro, said despite the consultative mechanisms adopted by Zamfara State, ”there are so many broader issues that need to be addressed to return the state to the path of sustainable peace and progress”.

He said according to a presentation on “The Drivers of Insecurity and Rural Violence” released at the event, ”there is a need for more technical interventions and adoption of multi-dimensional responses to address each of the unique challenges.”

He also said the issues of dire humanitarian needs, improved quality of services, heightened and violent crimes, high unemployment and poverty, degraded resource base and weak institutions need to be urgently addressed.

“There is also the strong need for interventions by experienced national and international peacebuilding organizations, which are grossly underrepresented in the State,” he said.