Women from areas affected by insecurity in Katsina State have reaffirmed commitments to addressing, preventing conflicts, while promoting a sustainable peace within their communities and beyond.

The women made the resolution at the end of a four-day Interest-Based Negotiation (IBN) and Community and Social Development Resource Management (CSDRM) training held in Katsina.

The training, organised by Mercy Corps, brought together about 80 women from Sabuwa, Faskari, Dandume, and Safana Local Government Areas of the state.

According to the participants, the exercise conducted under the Conflict Prevention, Crisis Response and Resilience Programme (CPCRR), has built their confidence and capacity to foster peace in their respective communities.

Malama Binta Adamu from Dandume, said that the programme funded by the European Union (EU), had empowered her to become an active agent of change.

“The training has increased my knowledge on conflict resolution. I am committed to using these techniques to promote peace. I believe that with this knowledge, the farmer-herder conflicts and other security challenges will soon be a thing of the past,” she said.

Similarly, Barira Galadima from Safana described the training as a refresher course that strengthened her ongoing efforts in sensitising community members, especially women on the importance of peaceful coexistence.

A Fulani woman, Amina Usman from Sabuwa attested to the value of negotiation in resolving local disputes.

“This training has encouraged me to further engage my community. Recent dialogue efforts with bandits in our area have already contributed to restoring peace, and business activities have resumed,” she said.

Ms Usman commended Mercy Corps, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) for facilitating the training.

Assistant Director of Legal Drafting at the state’s Ministry of Justice, Hadiza Umar, said the knowledge gained from the programme could significantly reduce the number of court cases in the state.

“Although I already had some experience in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), this training has deepened my understanding and practical approach,” she added.

Earlier, Senior Programme Manager at Mercy Corps, Philip Ikita, stated that the CSDRM and IBN training aimed to promote long-term peace and stability in the North-West.

According to him, the initiative builds on the success of the Conflict Mitigation and Community Reconciliation (CMCR) project, which has been implemented across 48 communities in Zamfara and Katsina states.

(NAN)