Niger: communities in Ouallam department sign peace agreement

Communities in the department of Ouallam, in the Tillaberi region of southwestern Niger, signed a peace agreement on Sunday (June 4th) in the locality of Tondikiwindi. This is the first agreement of its kind in the department of Ouallam where pressure from terrorist groups is fueling communal tensions.

The entrance to the locality of Ouallam in western Niger, January 9, 2021. © SOULEYMANE AG ANARA / AFP

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Discussions had been underway for several weeks with the facilitation of the High Authority for Peacebuilding and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD). The Arab, Peuhl, Zarma and Tuareg communities signed this document.

Through this agreement – which RFI has obtained – the communities of Ouallam undertake to resolve their differences through conciliation. They make commitments such as "forgiving past acts" and in particular "not claiming stolen animals or property before the signing of the agreement.

The parties also undertake to "facilitate the free movement of persons and their goods [...] and to encourage all communities to attend weekly markets." The circulation of weapons in villages is also condemned. "Some communities are equated with terrorists and were afraid to go to markets. This agreement aims to restore confidence," said a source close to the negotiators.

A monitoring committee set up

Mission accomplished, according to Abdou Moumouni, leader of a Zarma self-defense militia, from Tondikiwindi. "We will lay down our arms," he explains, "and we will be able to circulate safely again." An enthusiasm that moderates, however, a negotiator: "For weapons, it's still complicated," he confides.

The agreement provides for the establishment of a monitoring committee composed of 27 members from each community in the department. It will meet once a quarter in the coming year.

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