IOM warns that lack of funds could harm peace efforts in North-west

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said that lack of funds could harm the progress made under an EU-funded peacebuilding programme in Katsina and Zamfara states. This warning comes as the 18-month program is nearing its end.

Sharon Dimanche, Chief of Mission of IOM Nigeria, shared this concern on Friday during a media briefing about displacement and peacebuilding in Katsina, North-west Nigeria.

She mentioned that IOM and other humanitarian groups are struggling with financial issues. Programs aimed at dealing with displacement, conflict prevention, and community resilience still need support.

“You have seen from the programme which is coming to an end very soon,” Dimanche said during the question-and-answer session. “If we stop, then those gains that we have so far achieved will all go to waste.”

The Conflict Prevention, Crisis Response and Resilience (CPCRR) project, funded by the European Union, is run by IOM, Mercy Corps, and the Centre for Democracy and Development. It operates in certain local government areas in Katsina and Zamfara, focusing on conflict prevention, crisis response, peacebuilding, and building community resilience.

IOM reported that the project has achieved about 87 per cent of its planned activities, though some livelihood efforts are still ongoing. Officials did not provide any confirmed follow-up funding during the briefing or give details about plans for the peacebuilding and early-warning systems after CPCRR ends.

87 per cent of planned activities achieved

Jean Kutumbakana, IOM programme manager and head of the Katsina sub-office, shared more details about the project. He said that around 87 per cent of planned activities had been completed, and the remaining tasks are expected to finish before the 18-month program ends.

“We have 87 per cent now,” Kutumbakana said, noting that some activities are still in progress. The project has set up 80 community peace and resilience committees across Katsina and Zamfara.

A total of 1,700 community members and other stakeholders have been trained in conflict prevention, early warning, and early response. The project has also worked with 160 key informants along livestock routes to monitor movements and help prevent disputes between farmers and herders.

Mr Kutumbakana said that 41 transhumance movements involving 2,405 herders and 60,044 livestock have been monitored so far. He explained that informants along the routes alert communities when herders are approaching. If crops aren't harvested yet, communities further along the route can ask herders to delay until the harvest is done. This aims to reduce the chance of livestock entering farms and causing conflicts.

Kutumbakana said incidents have dropped significantly in areas with the peacebuilding and early-warning system. However, IOM did not provide figures comparing incidents before and after the intervention.

Livelihood interventions still ongoing

The project also offers psychosocial and livelihood support. Fifty members of psychosocial mobile teams, made up of 25 men and 25 women, have been trained to provide protection and psychosocial services. These teams have supported 49,316 people based on figures shown at the briefing.

Another 552 individuals, including women, men, youths, and people with disabilities, have received livelihood help along with mental health and psychosocial support. Some livelihood efforts are still in progress. Kutumbakana mentioned that 300 at-risk young people and women, mainly in Zamfara, have gone through peacebuilding and skills training and will receive livelihood kits after finishing the program.

Livestock kits have also been given to 200 beneficiaries in Zamfara, with a similar program planned for Katsina.

What happens after the project?

Dimanche said that funding shortages are impacting IOM and other humanitarian organizations. She also mentioned insecurity and limited access to some areas as challenges to reaching displaced people and returnees.

Kutumbakana stated that IOM is collaborating with government agencies to keep some interventions going after the project ends. He mentioned the distribution of economic tree seedlings, with officials from the Ministries of Environment and Agriculture involved in monitoring beneficiaries. This setup will help government workers continue monitoring the seedlings after IOM steps back.

IOM officials stressed that continuing and expanding other interventions will need support from the government and development partners. They did not share details on whether the Katsina or Zamfara governments would take over funding for community peace committees, early-warning systems, or other CPCRR activities when the project ends.

IOM's latest assessment found 737,073 internally displaced people in the North-west states. About 620,000 of them, which is around 84 per cent, were displaced by armed banditry and kidnapping.

Katsina had nearly 181,000 displaced people, while Zamfara had over 261,000. The agency also recorded nearly 147,000 returnees in the North-west, including more than 37,000 in Katsina.

Dimanche said that to reduce displacement, it is important to tackle the reasons that drive people from their homes instead of just responding after they have left. “If we are serious about reducing displacement, we cannot only become better at responding after people flee,” she said. “We have to become better at preventing the conditions that force them to flee in the first place.”