The Upper East Regional Peace Council has organised a two-day capacity-building workshop for Assembly members and unit committee members in the Builsa South District of the Upper East Region to build their resilience against violent extremism.
The members, drawn from various electoral areas in the district, were taken through the concept of conflict and violent extremism, the Land Act, early warning signs, and the effects of violent extremism on economic activities.
The training formed part of the Atlantic Corridor Project, aimed at contributing to efforts to address the drivers of radicalisation leading to violent extremism while strengthening the capacity of communities to respond and resist such threats.
The project also focused on enhancing early warnings and response mechanisms and strengthening socio-economic resilience among at-risk youth and women, while promoting alternative counter narratives to combat hate speech that promoted violence and violence extremism in target communities.
It is being funded by the governments of Norway, Denmark, Germany, and Australia through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Mr Ali Anankpieng , the Executive Secretary of the Upper East Regional Peace Council, addressing the stakeholders, noted that the nature of their work and the constituency in which they have found themselves necessitated the training for them to be well-positioned to contribute to the prevention of violent extremism.
He said most often than not, assembly members and unit committee members were confronted with diverse issues, including land disputes, often serving as a catalyst for conflict, and understanding the framework governing land use and rights in the community was crucial to guiding their members to seek redress at appropriate avenues.
Mr Anankpieng also emphasised that violent extremism was not related to one gender, religious group, or race, and given the complexity of it, the understanding of community leaders on the concept of violent extremism was crucial to addressing some of the conflicts that might arise.
“Just because there are activities of violent extremists in neighbouring Burkina Faso, Mali, or Niger does not mean violent extremism would necessarily come from there; it can emanate from our communities without coming from these countries, and that is the more reason attention must be paid to addressing conflicts before they escalate into violence,” he added.
Mr Abdul Rashid Alhassan, Assistant District Director of Builsa South District Assembly and representative of the District Chief Executive at the workshop, said the Assembly was concerned about the security of the district, and the training given to the assembly members and unit committees was worth commending.
He emphasised that as part of measures to maintain peace in the upcoming elections, the District Election Task Force was reactivated to ensure peace before, during, and after the election and called on political parties to ensure a violence-free election.
Madam Eunice Alienka, Unit Committee member of Sikasa Electoral Area, said the training by the Peace Council had equipped her to help manage conflicts and offer advice to members of her community on appropriate avenues they could seek redress on their land disputes.
