14300 families seek shelter in Oicha

Henri reports that the ADF Nalu attacked the government army last week in Eringeti – around 55 miles from Beni town. Villagers were again forced to flee, and have now congregated in Oicha town, 30 miles from Beni. The numbers of people coming into Oicha are growing daily, and figures are estimated as high as 14,300 families.

CRC staff talk with those seeking shelter to discuss their needs

It is now that the work Henri has been doing over the past ten years, to encourage neighbouring communities to leave peacefully together and to provide shelter to those who need it, will be most crucial. The situation is extremly volatile, yet Henri and the task forces of former militia members and local leaders that he has set up across eastern Congo will help to negotiate safe passage for those who need it, and to encourage calm within Oicha.

Please support Henri today, and help to restore hope in this volatile region.

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“Things are extremely bad here. Kashmir has been burning for the last two months. All regions are deeply polarized. The conflict is getting more complex” – Ashima

Last week massive street protests ended tragically when seven people were killed by police and 250 were injured. The riots came only two days before flash floods struck the valley, killing at least 85 people and injuring another 340. The flooding has ruined roads and telephone masts, causing mass panic and confusion.

Ashima has told us that young people are not listening to calls for calm, and instead are going from house to house and forcing people to join the demonstration. As the youth provoke the paramilitary, the death toll rises and the cycle of violence continues to escalate but Ashima’s work with women and young people is determined to break this cycle and help people to be catalysts for change.

“The future is very difficult, but hope lies in women and youth – if change is possible it will come through them.” Ashima

The curfew makes it difficult for Ashima to move freely but this hasn’t stopped her from concentrating on her youth project, ‘Yakjah.’ Meaning ‘to be together’ in Kashmiri, the group believes that hope is in the new generation, and they urge young minds to reflect on ways of creating a culture of peace, non-violence and co-existence.

“One thing is sure – the youth is ready for change”- Ashima.

Ashima remains hopeful and next week she is taking a group of 12 young people who believe in multi-culturalism and co-existence to meet with religious leaders and the media – to find a way to make their message heard over the calls for violence.

In this difficult period Ashima has been fosusing on youth groups in rural areas, regions where militant groups threaten to turn strong relious beliefs into violent action. There is no one mapping these youth wings, or offering a sounding board to their beliefs or aspirations. She believes that Yakjah could offer a way for these groups to be heard without violence.

In Ashima’s hands your gift is supporting young people who believe they can live together in peace at this particularly difficult time and I cannot thank you enough for your continued support.

“Patience and perseverance is the only way forward. These steps are small, but they are steps all the same.” – Ashima.

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Thankfully we have heard from Gulalai, the chair of Aware Girls, that her and her family are safe. In the last few days the staff and volunteers at Aware Girls have been helping distribute food to people whose homes have been devasted by the floods.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North West Frontier Province ) is one of the most radical states in Pakistan . The flood brings further instability to an extremely volatile region where militant groups manipulate strong religious beliefs into violent action; suicide bombings, torching schools and killing civilians.

Aware utilizes one of the most vital, yet neglected resources in the country – young women. They work directly with youth – particularly females – to help them develop leadership skills to be agents of change in their communities. Right now these young women are responding to the worst devastation they have seen, and helping people who need it the most.

We will keep you up to date with the situation on the ground as we hear more from them.

“Soccer for Peace in Kiliba astonished the population because the organisation made enemy teams become allied teams by the second round. By the time the finals came, the teams were composed of people who were adversaries at the start.” Flory Kazingufu

In a dusky afternoon, both captains stood either side of Flory Kazangufu, impatiently awaiting his sign to kick off. After a month that has seen sixteen teams of boys from different tribes across eastern Congo come together to play for the glory of being the first ever champions of ‘Soccer for Peace.’

Moments earlier, the two captains had had team talks with their new teammates. They had never played together, as just before kick off they had decided to swap players, so they could play with boys from other tribes.

From the sidelines, local supporters, police and religious leaders from diverse tribes drowned out Flory’s starting whistle as they cheered and shouted for their new teams.

After a tense and exciting final, the ‘Soccer for Peace’ trophy was proudly and graciously accepted by the captain of Amani football club. In the spirit of the tournament, he shared the winning prize with the other finalists.

“To promote peace, we mixed up players from different communities and tribes. It was a real joy to see former enemies  celebrate the cup and share the awarded prices”

The ‘Soccer for Peace’ tournament was the first of its kind in Kiliba. It was a huge success that saw mass participation from players, supporters and officials across ethic and tribal devides.  Tribe leaders came down to watch the awards ceremony, and Flory described the “joy and celebration from the village following the end of the tournament.”

The month-long event has been so much more than just a football tournament – it has brought people together in Kiliba. Father Peter, a catholic priest who joined in the prize giving ceremony, said that “tears of hatred have been replaced by tears of joy on the faces of the villagers of Kiliba.”

“It was our aim to see this day end in celebration. Foundation Chirezi, the baraza of Kiliba and all the clubs of volunteers of Kiliba are proud of scoring a goal of light in the darkness of hatred which characterised the village of Kiliba in the past.” Flory.

This football tournament has helped to bring the communities of Kiliba to come together and renew their friendship. Flory hopes that it will be the first of many, and on his behalf we would like to thank all the support that you have given to make this special event possible.

“This experience has given me more strength to engage in peace building, I feel I have the energy to continue to work for local communities again and again.” Flory.

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“YAPE is an important independent organisation and it makes Kavre a safer place to live.”

It has been an incredible year for the Youth Alliance for Peace and Environment (YAPE) in Nepal. In their third year of funding from Peace Direct YAPE has made 10 interventions through the Rapid Response Fund (RRF) to ease local tensions and stop violence from escalating. Their work is crucial in a country where serious, and sometimes violent political conflict is still a regular occurrence. Two out of every five people live in poverty, and political instability is a further challenge in the lives of ordinary civilians suffering mass unemployment and strikes.

YAPE acts as a hotline for peace – easily contactable and ready to act as soon as violence threatens. The RRF ensures that YAPE can respond immediately to stop conflict at its roots and to help communities move forwards. YAPE has enabled schools to reopen after attack and allowed trade to resume after blockades. YAPE’s representative, Bhoraj,  diffused one situation where ‘scores of people could have died’ by holding mediation talks to persuade two communities to sign a written pledge to live in harmony with each other.

YAPE has earned respect for itself across society, from the poorest communities up to the police, local government and the army. Word has spread, and local communities have recognised the value of YAPE’s work and are contacting Bhoraj more and more to ask for his help in preventing conflict.

In the last year, YAPE has initiated and built upon relations with the government, Maoists and UN agencies, and formed important networks across the majority of the region. They have co-ordinated with both the government and security forces, who have depended on them to act as a third party in disputes.

Although the peace agreement was signed in 2006 the Maoists and the government continue to fight over the future of Nepal. The ten year conflict claimed over 13,000 lives and the homes of many more and the threat of a return to war hangs over the future of the country.  2010 is a crucial year for the Nepali peace process, yet the political parties have failed to meet the May deadline for creating a new constitution. The work that YAPE is doing to resolve conflict on the ground is playing an invaluable role to stop political frustrations turning to violent uprisings.

In the coming year YAPE plans to expand the RRF beyond Kavre district and into the Southern region of Terai and Bara  - a region with an estimated 128 armed groups still active. To respond to the increasing demand for their services they plan to set up a conflict hotline number in Kavre and Bara district for people to report violence from even the most remote areas. There are many challenges ahead but with YAPE’s knowledge and contacts and the flexibility granted through the RRF, they are uniquely placed to stop violence before it starts.

Help YAPE be there when their help is most needed, please make a donation today.

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President Pierre Nkurunziza’s CNDD-FDD party secured a majority of 82%. There was only one opposition group, UPRONA, because the rest of the opposition boycotted the elections. Unfortunately the day saw a relatively low turnout of 66% and more grenade attacks.

“The political situation is very confused. There is a kind of cold war and nothing is certain about the security of our country in the future.” – Landry: Amahoro Youth Club (AYC)

The parliamentary elections follow the Presidential election held on June 28, where only one candidate stood for election – the incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza.  The rest of the candidates pulled out, claiming that the district elections held at the end of May were rigged and several of the opposition leaders have gone into hiding, including Agathon Rwasa the leader of the FNL – the last Burundian rebel group to disarm -  or have been arrested and detained for several days.

“The opposition parties state that they will not accept the government of CNDD and all its institutions” –Landry: AYC

Although the security situation in Burundi has improved since the last rebel group lay down their arms, it is still fragile. Both elections were held against the backdrop of daily grenade attacks, killing more than ten people. Grenades are cheap and easy to get, and both the government and the opposition have been linked to over 100 grenade attacks this year.

For Burundi to rebuild its economy and have a lasting peace, it is essential that the next two elections will be a success.   However with violence surrounding the first three elections, turnout dropping each time, and the opposition parties withdrawing from the race, the political situation is frail.

“No to the violence, yes to the peace.”

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“After many years they sent us a ‘medical caravan’ because they know now that there is no tension and the area is calm.”

Last month in a dusty village in South Kordofan a healthcare ‘caravan’ arrived to provide medical services to two tribes. The caravan stayed for three days and as the people received care and attention they told stories of the hardship they had suffered. A young woman named Handi told of her sadness of loosing her baby after bleeding for seven days before anyone could find transport to take her to the nearest health service.

Sudan suffers some of the most extreme poverty on earth. In these remote villages people live in grass huts and there is no sanitation, health service or formal education. As Handi’s story shows a traveling healthcare caravan provides a life saving service, and yet this is the first time in over 5 years that the caravan has been able to visit. Conflict had torn the communities apart and made it unsafe for anyone to travel through the area.

Up until the end of the civil war these two tribes had lived side by side, they shared land, water and married between tribes. But cattle raiding between the two tribes became common and farmers armed themselves to protect their scarce resources. The true tragedy of this story is there is a water dam in the land between the two tribes and the surrounding land is the most fertile in the area. For over five years women had to walk over 8 miles each day to find an alternative source of water, and the land which could have fed both of the tribes lay unfarmed.

The Collaborative for Peace in Sudan set up a Peace Committee in the area, and was quickly approached by community members from both tribes. They all spoke of huge gatherings in the past, the dancing and celebrations when they saw each other, and they asked the committee to help this happen again.

“ We saw you come from far away to help us. We said to ourselves, we should feel ashamed, we are here we should work seriously for peace” Dawood – village teacher

On 7 April the committee arranged for the two tribes to meet again. Vehicles are uncommon in the area, and most people travel by donkey, camel or on foot, so the committee organised for trucks to help transport the people. Over 500 men women and children made the two hour journey to visit their neighbouring tribe – a journey none of them had made in over 5 years. Over two days the people of the two tribes talked, discussed and found solutions. The talks were lengthy but as one tribal elder said, ‘ This is our chance to change our community with our own hands.’

At the end of the two days, the Collaborative gave each tribe some funds to buy seeds so that in May they were able to plant their land. The two communities number about 5000 people and this land can provide enough crops to feed their families and some extra to sell at market.

Rasha El Fangry, the co-ordinator for the Collaborative returned to the area earlier this month, the benefits of peace could be seen everywhere. She learnt of how the two tribes had together approached the local commissioner to petition for the health caravan to visit and of how they were working together to make real improvements in their lives.

“Now I am able to take my goats and move from one place to another with no fear. I am happy.’ Mahamood – village iman

A basic economy is beginning to thrive and members of the different tribes are able to travel freely to visit one another. A ‘family day’ was organised for all communities in the district to come together in celebration, and people from neighbouring communities, including the media, are able to visit, so their region does not get lost to conflict.

“My son has come from the city to help me with farming” Halima – village singer

It cost less that £2000 for the Collaborative to fund this intervention – just 40 pence for each of the 5000 people who have benefitted so much from the peace it has bought.

The Collaborative for Peace in Sudan has set up 8 peace committees like this across Blue Nile and South Kordofan. Over the next year they plan to set up 8 more. Please make a gift today and help these communities to lead themselves out of conflict.

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It has been a diffcult summer for Ashima with demonstrations and curfews across the Kashmir Valley. Since June 11 Indian police and paramilitary forces have been accused of killing 15 civilians – 4 of them women. The curfew has bought the valley to a standstill, and for Ashima this means not only heightened insecurity but also that she is unable to push ahead with plans to expand the samanbals.

However as Ashima talks about the samanbals and particularly about some of the individual women her passion and belief that women can and will be the change-makers in the peacebuilding process comes across stronger than ever.

“When the woman in the family is not healthy, when she can only feel fear, then how can you expect the family, the community to be happy. The samanbals provide women with these small islands of peace so that they can build their own life. It may just be minute dots on the peacebuilders map, but they mean so much to the individual women.”

It has been 8 years since Ashima established the frst samanbal in the Kashmir valley. There is now one in each division of Kashmir, and the women come daily. Each samanbal provides the women with a space they can call their own, where they can learn income generating activities to provide for their children, gain respect from their families and which together builds the political conscience of the women.

I can sense Ashima smile as she tells me about 23-year-old Abida, a young woman who when Ashima met her ‘did not dare to open her mouth for fear of being heard.’ Affra is now teaching computer workshops at the Samanbal in the Kashmir Valley. She has told Ashima, “Now I am like a man of the house, I am treated equally as my brother.”

And the samanbals are beginning to spread. In the far corner of Jammu along the line of control – too far for Ashima to visit regularly – a group of women has set up their own samanbal. Ashima has helped the women to forge links with other organisations that will help to sustain them, and is now watching them grow. Before the curfew bought the valley to a standstill, Ashima had begun talks with the Women’s Development Co-operation about fnding sources of funding for this and other satellite samanbals.

This year has seen the Domestic Violence Act passed in Kashmir, and it is now, at its nascent stage that there is opportunity for the women of the samanbals to make their mark on the bill – to ensure that it refects the needs of women from all regions.

This is where Ashima’s vision for the samanbals become clear, where rather than small islands, she sees these spaces as a network that brings women together across ethnic, religious and political divides and she is so eager for the curfew to end so that they can continue to spread. She wants to strengthen the existing samanbals – to create leadership at the community level, and make this collective of women an agency for change. And ultimately she wants the government to adopt the samanbals, so that all women are able to access a space they can call their own.

“The future is very difcult, but hope lies in women and youth – if change is possible it will come through them.”

Peace Direct believes that locally led peacebuilding can operate on a large scale. Its concept paper, Ripples into Waves, uses four external case studies to show how local peacebuilding initiatives have succeeded on a national scale and made a real impact on violent conflict.

Click here to download Ripples into Waves (pdf) (http://www.insightonconflict.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Ripples-into-Waves-concept-paper.pdf)