04 December 2002

Bonn, Germany: After years of being entangled in civil strife, former combatants, most of them ethnic Peuls (Fulanis), are finally reintegrating into society with the help of the Nguigmi Peace Project in Niger's south-eastern Manga region. Funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the French development agency, Cooperation française au Niger, the year-old project aims at consolidating peace and developing new working skills to improve the economic conditions and livelihoods of ex-combatants. At last year's inauguration of the Peace Project, most of the former combatants had mixed feelings about starting afresh. Bitterness and disbelief were mixed with hope and expectations. Armed conflict had disrupted their plans for a peaceful, pastoral life. Many of them had just returned home after years in refugee camps in neighbouring Algeria. They had fled the country during the conflict between farmers and herders of the ethnic Peuls, Dazas and Mohamids, largely over the use of scarce watering holes and grazing land for their livestock following years of drought.

"How can you help us without giving us money?" asked one of the participants at the inauguration of the project. Firoun Mahamar Maiga, a UN Volunteer recruited from Mali to coordinate the activities, answered : "We will help you to take up your activities of the past; if you had no profession, we will provide training in a project of your choice so you can earn money." Firoun is part of a team of two international and 10 national UN Volunteers helping former combatants take up income-generating activities abandoned long ago.

One year on, the Peace Project is showing tangible signs of success. In Kelakam, a small village on the Nigerian border, and in Kabemaï, close to Lake Chad, ex-combatants raise livestock and sell cheese. "With a subsidy of US$ 800, the group raised a flock of 24 sheep and four goats. All of the animals have been vaccinated and the drinking trough has been constructed," says UN Volunteer Moussa Kondi Kaoussane of Niger. The project's promoter, Yahaya Oumarou, is proud of the result: "The flock presently has 43 animals which provide livelihoods for some 10 families through the sale of cheese."

East of Kabemaï, former combatant Ousseini Sobbankéri has just gathered his sheep and goats. "The birth of the lambs and the kids has increased the size of the flock," he says. In total, there are about 20 activities managed by former combatants in the Kadzel sector near Lake Chad.

Some difficulties arise, however, despite training carried out by the UN Volunteers. "Some projects didn't go well because of the loss of cattle by those who did not know how to take care of the animals and their health," says Mani Orthe Boucar, a national UN Volunteer. The drought near the south-eastern borders with Chad and Nigeria, the advancing desert and the density of the population are also factors that have affected the process of reintegration.

In the early 1990s, many Peuls lived in exile in Algeria. During this period, a number of them developed social bonds in the refugee camps. "One important fact for the later development of the project and the consolidation of peace were these social bonds," explains Moustapha Abba Gana Kelli, a national UN Volunteer. Former teachers spontaneously volunteered to teach children reading and writing. Later on, the project encouraged livestock breeders and farmers to meet regularly in markets and fairs to share information and exchange experiences - important steps in the building of trust and restoration of peace.

The reintegration of ex-combatants in the Manga region is in full swing and many activities have been taken up by the ex-combatants. For example, they trade in livestock, iron implements and clothing. For the first time they opened jewellery shops in the region. In the area around Lake Chad, they cultivate plants and raise fish. Sweet pepper is planted in that area and is sent to markets in Niamey, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire and Togo. The wives of ex-combatants produce leather and baskets and dye products.

The Peace Project in Nguigmi has been extended to assist former combatants of the Toubou ethnic group in Kawar near the northern Tenere Desert. Pending additional resources, the project is expected to be extended to Aïr and Azawak near the border with Algeria to support ex-combatants living in these regions.