A community based NGO in Borno, Allamin Foundation, has commenced the training of community leaders in Bama Local Government on human rights, transitional Justice and community engagement strategies.
The 25 trainees are members of the Community Advocates for Transitional Justice.
Speaking at the opening of the training on Sunday in Bama, the Executive Director of the foundation, Hajiya Hamsatu Allamin, said the training would focus on community-based reconciliation and reintegration strategies in the area which is affected by the insurgency.
She said the training would strengthen the participants’ capacity and promote survivour-centred and gender-inclusive approaches in Bama.
According to her, the training which is necessary for peace building would also enhance the capacity of participants to serve as advocates for transitional justice in their various communities.
Allamin urged them to use the skills acquired in the training to promote peacebuilding processes at the community level in view of their role which is key to the success and realisation of transitional justice at the grassroots.
According to Allamin, the selection of community leaders for the training was strategic.
“Their involvement in the process of the advocacy is to ensure sustainability and localisation of the entire system toward implementing a transitional justice system in communities affected by the crisis,” she said.
In his presentation, Dr Mohammed Abdullahi, one of the facilitators from the University of Maiduguri, said the training would help communities confront the past instead of ignoring it, and lay groundwork for a more and just future.
Abdullahi, who spoke on Why Transitional Justice is Needed After Conflict, emphasised the importance of holding perpetrators of serious crimes accountable.
He said this could be achieved through fair and transparent judicial or traditional processes, which he stressed were paramount to achieving peacebuilding in crisis-affected areas.
According to him, the use and application of transitional justice also helps prevent impunity, deters future crimes and gives survivours a sense of belonging.
He urged participants to develop a deep understanding of the subject matter to help their communities appreciate their legal rights, available justice mechanisms, and access to legal aid and representation when needed.
The training was supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) UKaid.