A former Chief of Defence Staff, Martin Agwai (rtd.), says defeating an adversary on the battlefield does not necessarily amount to victory if the grievances that triggered the conflict remain unresolved.

Mr Agwai said this while delivering a lecture titled “Introduction to Conflict Resolution Mechanism” to participants of Naval Warfare Course 10 at the Naval War College Nigeria on Friday in Calabar.

The former chief of army staff said military intervention could become necessary in confronting violent conflicts but cautioned against treating military victory or the cessation of hostilities as synonymous with sustainable peace.

According to him, lasting peace can only be achieved when the political, social and structural grievances underlying conflicts are deliberately addressed.

He said the ultimate objective of conflict resolution should be to move societies “away from destructive confrontation towards constructive engagement”, stressing that the absence of violence was not, by itself, evidence of sustainable peace.

Mr Agwai, who has extensive experience in international peacekeeping operations, said repeated military engagements could fail to end conflicts where the underlying causes remained unattended.

He urged security professionals to understand the difference between conflict, crisis, violence and war, noting that each required a response appropriate to its character and level of escalation.

“Not every conflict becomes violent, and not every violent situation requires the same resolution mechanism,” he said.

The former military chief identified early warning and early response as critical tools for preventing conflicts from escalating into violence.

He said authorities should be able to identify emerging tensions and deploy dialogue, mediation, community participation and political engagement before disputes degenerate into armed confrontation.

Mr Agwai said that where prevention failed, mechanisms such as ceasefires, negotiations, mediation, peacekeeping, separation of forces and humanitarian intervention could be used to contain violence.

He stressed, however, that containment should not be mistaken for resolution, arguing that genuine conflict resolution must address the root causes of disputes and produce outcomes acceptable to the parties involved.

The retired general also introduced participants to the concept of conflict transformation, which he said goes beyond simply stopping violence to changing the relationships, structures, and conditions that sustain conflicts.

He described negotiation as one of the most effective mechanisms for resolving conflicts because it enabled disputing parties to communicate directly, understand each other’s interests and take ownership of agreements reached.

“There is no single formula for resolving conflicts.

“Several mechanisms might have to be combined depending on the nature and circumstances of a particular conflict,” he said.

Drawing from his peacekeeping experience, including his service as deputy force commander of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, Mr Agwai said military professionals must recognise the limitations of force in achieving lasting peace.

He said the lecture was designed to combine academic knowledge with practical lessons from decades of military and international peace-support operations.

The Commandant of the Naval War College, Nigeria, Mohammed Muye, described the lecture as “academy plus experience”, noting that Mr Agwai’s decades of military and international service made him an exceptional resource person.

Mr Muye commended the retired general for his sacrifices and courage during peace-support operations, particularly his engagements with conflict parties and rebels in difficult environments.

He said the Naval War College would continue to draw from Mr Agwai’s experience in preparing younger military officers and future strategic leaders.

(NAN)