Starting in late December 2023, vicious and indiscriminate violence broke out in the Mangu local government area in Plateau State, Nigeria among the area’s farming and pastoral communities. By the time the attacks stopped in mid-February 2024, reports indicated that 865 people, including 160 children, had been brutally killed.

While the scale of the attacks was devastating, violence of this sort is sadly not unprecedented in Mangu. In fact, a timeline from the Plateau Peacebuilding Agency reveals that communal violence has plagued the broader region for more than two decades, with some recorded instances dating back as far as 1994.

Fueled by ethno-religious differences, as well as tensions between farmers and herders over the use of land and resources, these attacks have significantly disrupted economic activities and weakened social cohesion. Many communities in the area are often settled along religious and ethnic lines. And even in cases of cohabitation, deep-seated suspicions remain — fostering a significant level of distrust within communities themselves.

Meanwhile, the increase in banditry, terrorism and overt criminal activities in neighboring parts of northeast and northwest Nigeria has facilitated the migration of both displaced persons and violent offenders into and around Plateau State, placing even further strain on social tensions.

Despite these challenges, there remains potential for communities in Plateau State, including Mangu, to build a lasting, sustainable process for peace. The Network of Nigerian Facilitators, supported by USIP, is assisting communities to identify more efficient strategies for conflict prevention and mitigation.

A Flawed Government Response

The federal government of Nigeria, along with the Plateau State government, have taken decisive action in response to the assaults in Mangu and nearby communities by deploying security forces to the area. These initiatives are intended to re-establish order and mitigate the risk of future violence.

However, they are often reactive, with policymakers inclined to prioritize kinetic measures over the strategic development and implementation of long-term peacebuilding and non-kinetic approaches. This has rendered government intervention largely ineffective as communal violence becomes both more commonplace and complex.

Additionally, the presence of military forces in communities is often correlated with claims of bias and complicity from local stakeholders. In many instances, these claims emerge within ethno-religious contexts, complicating the efforts to achieve lasting resolutions to the conflicts.

To effectively address this situation, it is essential for both federal and state governments to adopt a more proactive approach in designing strategies that remedy the core issues driving the violence. This means implementing localized and sustainable interventions that are not solely reliant on external solutions such as state and federal security intervention.

Network of Nigerian Facilitators Intervention

Following the Mangu attacks, the Network of Nigerian Facilitators (NNF) — a group of local peacebuilders who have been trained and supported by USIP to enhance their capacity to deal with such situations — began developing a series of interventions in partnership with the Plateau Peacebuilding Agency (PPBA). These interventions were aimed at repairing communities’ strained relationship with Nigerian security forces and to reconcile the split communities.

The facilitators adopted a two-pronged approach: First, bring together the two main communities involved in the feud: the mainly Christian, agricultural Mwaghavul and the mainly Islamic, pastoral Fulani.

The NNF organized dialogues that allowed these communities to create safe spaces, enabling individuals from both sides to present their cases objectively and develop their own recommendations for fostering peaceful co-existence. Following the discussions, community members established committees to arrange regular meetings between the two groups, alternating locations to strengthen relationships.

Community members were able to … identify strategies for conflict resolution that will outlive the NNF’s direct involvement.

They also created a WhatsApp group to enhance communication and foster cohesiveness in proactively addressing potential conflicts. Regular check-ins from the NNF indicate that these meetings have become a consistent aspect of communal relations and have significantly contributed to fostering more peace in the area. Through these processes, community members were able to take ownership of the situation and identify strategies for conflict resolution that will outlive the NNF’s direct involvement.

Second, the NNF sought to bring together all of Mangu’s local communities to meet with the military and other security authorities. These dialogues offered a unique chance for community members and military representatives to participate in direct conversations and paved the way for a series of recommendations that have significantly enhanced relationships between the two parties in the area.

Regular meetings are now organized by both parties. Meanwhile, improved and direct channels of communication — such as phone calls and WhatsApp messaging — are enhancing interactions, addressing misinformation and, most importantly, fostering trust that was entirely lacking at the start of the dialogues.

Local Government Elections and Potential for Peace

In recent years, the ineffectiveness of local governments has contributed significantly to Plateau State’s plethora of conflicts and other challenges. However, the Plateau State government held elections in October for 17 local government areas across the state. With new local leadership, hope is growing for a new era of peace and prosperity for the residents of Mangu and other parts of the state.

During the election, members of the NNF were deployed to Mangu and other local areas. The elections were mostly peaceful, despite some logistical difficulties. The NNF members utilized the opportunity to observe the elections and provide recommendations to the government via the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission on how to improve the conduct of elections in the future.

With the arrival of new administrators for Mangu and other local government districts, there was also an opportunity to explore further prospects for peacebuilding in collaboration with the Plateau Peacebuilding Agency by observing the elections and taking note of such opportunities. The elections have marked a new era in the management of local government affairs and communities, as well as another opportunity to establish peace and restore communities to better coexistence and prosperity.

The Importance of Collaboration Between State Actors and Peacebuilders

The community members in Mangu have benefited greatly from the interactions between the NNF and the Plateau Peacebuilding Agency.

On the one hand, the agency has been able to leverage the facilitators’ capacity, expertise and methodology to enhance dialogue processes, resulting in effective outcomes, as demonstrated in Mangu. Additionally, the neutrality and presence of NNF members has contributed to the agency’s credibility and helped dispel reservations previously held by certain community actors.

Conversely, NNF members have been afforded the opportunity to enhance their capabilities with the support of a government agency — a circumstance that is exceedingly rare in conflict resolution initiatives within such contexts. Trust in the NNF’s ability to implement these processes not only lends credibility to the network but also has the potential to expand the opportunities for state governments to engage community and civil society actors in their pursuit of sustainable and practical solutions to conflict-related issues.

This relationship between the NNF and the Plateau Peacebuilding Agency, and the impact it has made, underscores the significance of collaboration between community peacebuilding actors and state agencies in addressing local conflict challenges.

Lessons for Broader Peacebuilding

The NNF’s experience in Mangu has provided significant insights into how countries such as Nigeria can effectively address the resolution of similar conflicts, as well as how the United States and other countries can extend support to communities facing conflict in a way that allows them to find solutions to their problems in more cost-effective and sustainable ways.

Efforts in Mangu show that proactive collaboration and communication among governments, civil society, networks such as the NNF, and community members are crucial for trust-building and conflict resolution. These non-kinetic approaches can effectively address conflicts by fostering inclusive and participatory methods — and the engagement of local actors who possess a deeper understanding of their own context enhances the identification of problems and the development of sustainable solutions that can endure beyond international support.

Meanwhile, initiatives like the NNF demonstrate that substantial financial resources are not a prerequisite for effective conflict resolution. By helping to both replicate and scale up such efforts, the U.S. government and others in the international community can help address the challenge of conflicts around the world.

It is essential that these efforts are not just confined to Mangu but expanded to other conflict-affected regions in Plateau State and beyond. The road to peace is long and fraught with challenges, but the success observed in Mangu is proof that change is possible.