Deepening Non-Conflict Interventions for De-Escalation of Violent Conflict: Exploring other Steps to Peace in Anambra State, Nigeria

There has been a rise in violent incidents and deaths arising from non-state armed groups (NSAGs) activities in the South-East and Anambra State. Data from the Nextier SPD Violent Conflict Database shows that there were 255 deaths and 157 incidents of violence involving non-state armed groups (NSAGs) between January and May 2022. Anambra State accounted for 37 per cent of violent incidents and 41 per cent of deaths in the South-East (See Figure 3) during the period under review. The state government has demonstrated efforts to stem the tide through kinetic interventions such as destroying criminal hideouts, launching the Anambra State Security Trust Fund (ASSTF), etc. In addition, efforts were made to boost security agencies\’ operational effectiveness by implementing curfews in some locations within the state. However, while these kinetic interventions have yielded results, they tend to suppress the conflicts without necessarily addressing their root causes.

Kinetic interventions create imaginaries of the state government as a violent party in the conflict. This has implications for de-escalating the conflict and peacebuilding in the state. Thus, the government needs to do more in non-conflict interventions (NCIs) (Rao, 2022) to win people\’s support and attract the NSAGs to the negotiation table for sustainable peacebuilding. This edition of Nextier SPD Policy Weekly examines the travails of deploying NCIs in Anambra State and offers actionable strategies for deepening NCIs for effective peacebuilding in the State.

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