The UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has identified 24 communities in four Katsina local government areas for a pilot project on conflict mitigation and reconciliation.

It plans to replicate the project in other parts of the North-West.

IOM programme manager and head of sub-office in Katsina, Jean Kutumbakana, disclosed this on Thursday at the launch of the project’s steering committee.

Mr Kutumbakana listed benefitting communities as Jibia, Batsari, Danmusa and Kankara local government areas.

He said that the project would assist in addressing issues related to banditry, farmer-herder conflicts and the devastating impact of climate change, among others. He added that the project would adopt a comprehensive approach that acknowledged the crucial roles of individuals, communities and governments in fostering peaceful coexistence.

Mr Kutumbakana said also that IOM had trained 136 community contact persons in the affected local government area and conducted baseline surveys.

According to him, the project will offer mental health and psychological support for victims of gender-based violence and trafficking in persons.

Governor Dikko Radda thanked the donor agency and its implementing partners for choosing Katsina to launch the pilot project.

Mr Radda’s deputy chief of staff, Mukhtar Saulawa, who represented the governor, said the administration would continue to welcome such support for peaceful coexistence in Katsina. He assured that the government’s doors would remain open to efforts aimed at enhancing peace across the state.

Also speaking at the launch, the head of democracy of the Governance and Migration Section at the EU office in Nigeria, Ruben Alba, said the EU had observed that insecurity in the North-West had devastating impacts.

He commended the Katsina government for establishing the Community Security Watch Corps as part of efforts to find lasting solutions to insecurity.

Mr Alba also commended development partners, particularly those in the areas of training and assessments that helped the EU to understand the root causes of conflicts in the region.

He assured that the EU would assist in helping communities to arrive at solutions to take them out of the conflicts.

The committee at the state level has the governor or his representative as chairman of the steering committee.

Other members include representatives of the ministries of women affairs, justice, local governments and chieftaincy affairs, internal security, speaker, Katsina House of Assembly and the State Emergency Management Agency.

(NAN)