From 2015 to 2019, Search for Common Ground (Search) implemented a project entitled “Early Warning / Early Response Mechanisms in Northern Nigeria,” funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL).
The overall goal of the project was to expand and strengthen early warning and early response (EW/ER) processes to enhance community and state actors’ ability to protect citizens through convening and empowering diverse community leaders to engage in dialogue processes at the local and state levels.
The evaluation highlights how security providers expressed commitment to conflict early warning and early response, including greater communication and coordination among actors from local and state governments to civil society to traditional leaders and faith communities. It also highlights increased proactive efforts to address conflict dynamics, and greater capacity for conflict resolution and mitigation among all of these stakeholders. Community perceptions were positively different in target communities, corroborated by information of stakeholders regarding decreased violence, increased confidence in local security mechanisms, increased reporting of conflicts and potential conflicts, and improved conflict resolution. Finally, stakeholders identified that levels of conflict are down considerably.
