What is the role of internally displaced people (IDPs) in peacemaking and peacebuilding in complex humanitarian situations? This field report, published in the Journal of Refugee Studies, analyses the strategies used by the Luanda-based Centre for Common Ground (CCG) and IDPs in conflict resolution in Angola. IDPs must play a central role in conflict management and the construction of peace if national reconciliation is to be sustainable. Peacemaking and peacebuilding that target and involve IDPs must occur before, during and after war-related complex humanitarian situations.
Almost four decades of war have taken a heavy toll on the Angolan people. IDPs, who make up 25 per cent of the population, are especially vulnerable to war-related conflicts. However, the end of armed conflict does not signify that peace has come. Social injustices persist and in post-war situations, many forms of social, ethnic and economic conflict arise that affect displaced communities and require different forms of intervention.
Peacemaking is broadly associated with the resolution of conflicts, whereas peacebuilding addresses the social, economic and political structures that have an impact on people’s lives. Notwithstanding these conceptual distinctions, the differences between peacemaking and peacebuilding become less visible when applied in practice. Peacemaking and peacebuilding should therefore be viewed as interconnected, rather than separate processes.
The case study focuses on CCG’s work with IDPs living in four camps in Viana between 1998 and December 2002. It indicates that activities such as theatre, dialogue, media and training can help build the capacity of IDPs to manage conflict peacefully during displacement and on return to their areas of origin. These activities can also be adapted for the purposes of peacebuilding.
- Theatre, dialogue, media, and training are used in sequence, culminating with the training of trainers and the constitution of conflict resolution camp councils which resource the camp communities. These councils complement the authority of the traditional leaders, and use both traditional and modern conflict management methods. Traditional ways of dealing with conflict can help strengthen the weakened bonds of displaced communities.
- In the context of peacebuilding, these councils also defend the rights and the concerns of IDPs for equity. Individuals must be able to demand respect for their rights in a non-violent and strategic way.
- The ability to deal with conflicts at the community level can in effect prevent conflicts occurring at higher levels. For peace to be sustainable at the national level, peace and the non-violent resolution of disputes must exist at the grass-roots level.
- It is also important to build the capacity of displaced communities to manage conflicts non-violently during displacement because functional judicial systems are absent from the provinces.
Displaced communities must play an active role in the management of complex humanitarian emergencies through peacemaking and peacebuilding processes; their engagement is essential if reconciliation is to be sustained in the long-term and address the structural causes of violence. Other key lessons learned for donors and policymakers include:
- An integrated approach to national reconciliation or ‘nation building’ is needed at all levels, encompassing grassroots/community leaders in camps, middle range actors (such as local authorities, NGOs, media), and high level actors (including political actors, security forces, media).
- Specific multi-pronged support strategies are needed in complex emergencies. Different phases of humanitarian crises vary in intensity and their victims have different needs and goals accordingly.
