Located in southeast Guinea, the Forest Region (or Guinée Forestière) has suffered the negative effects of more than 20 years of civil wars in the neighboring countries of Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
As these wars reverberated through Guinea, this region in particular felt increased strain as host to thousands of refugees and, as a result of this influx, is the most ethnically diverse in the country.
The Forest Region itself – where two-thirds of the population lives on less than $1.90 per day – has also seen recurring inter-communal conflicts over the allocation of resources and economic disparities that often break down along ethnic lines. In July of 2013, communal tensions and distrust boiled over into violent conflict. Violence peaked with reports that 217 people had been killed, 1,840 homes destroyed, and over 16,000 people were internally displaced.
In late 2013, the Ebola outbreak placed increased stress on communities living in Guinea’s Forest Region. Given the history of violent conflict coupled with this new potential trigger, the Atrocities Prevention Board recognized the risks and helped to catalyze preventative action. As part of this effort, the U.S. Agency for International Development utilized the Complex Crises Fund (CCF) mechanism to allocate $1.75 million for the program, Rebuilding Together: Community Driven Reconciliation and Enhanced Communication in Guinée Forestière.
Recognizing a lack of effective dialogue mechanisms to solve disagreements and promote reconciliation, the goals of the program – implemented by Search for Common Ground (SFCG) – were to “forge a common identity, sensitize the population to tolerance, reconciliation, and conflict resolution, and create platforms for peacebuilding.” The program also sought to combat the deep mistrust of local populations toward the state, mitigate ethnic and religious tensions, and build social cohesion through women’s empowerment and youth engagement.
One specific initiative was the creation of the Multilevel Peace Consultation Platform to act as an early-warning mechanism to identify, discuss, and respond to potential triggers of conflict. Participants included representatives of local authorities, influential elders from a diversity of backgrounds, representatives of local youth and women’s associations, and key economic actors in the region.
Through forging a common collective identity and facilitating constructive conflict management through initiatives like the Multilevel Peace Consultation Platform, USAID found its Rebuilding Together program contributed to national unity. For example, beneficiary testimonies highlighted how SFCG restitution training allowed for the resolution of a long-standing dispute between ethnically aligned moto-taxi companies.
In addition, USAID found that the program not only had positive impact on building community cohesion, but also helped to advance goals related to health in the midst of the Ebola outbreak. One beneficiary stated that mediation training provided the “skills necessary to sensitize a reluctant community to the Ebola virus and preventative measures – an activity not able to be achieved by the government or health officials due to deep mistrust.”
The development of credible mechanisms for community dialogue to prevent conflict and promote reconciliation by USAID and SFCG demonstrate how peacebuilding is a powerful force for the reduction and mitigation of violence in a fragile state, even in the midst of an additional health crisis.
