The Peace Observatory – Nô Cudji Paz project trained 80 young and adult Guinean women in the prevention of radicalism and violent extremism (PREV) in two training sessions held in Buba on 26 and 27 May and in Canchungo on 1 and 2 June 2024.
The training sessions equipped the trainees with the knowledge and techniques to identify early signs and behaviours associated with Radicalism and Violent Extremism (REV), strengthening their skills to promote peace and social cohesion.
The opening sessions were attended by Bubacar Turé, President of LGDH and Coordinator of the project. Turé, as a human rights activist, emphasised that ‘women have natural potential for conflict prevention and resolution, which should be used for PREV in Guinea-Bissau.’
During the four days of training, comprehensive content on PREV was covered, with an emphasis on the global and West African sub-regional panorama. The training focussed on identifying signs and manifestations of radicalism and extremism, as well as the specific situation in Guinea-Bissau.
Topics such as impunity and justice were also presented and discussed; strategies for manipulating young people and women to spread radical ideologies; coordination mechanisms between different civil society organisations within the framework of PREV; and the role of women in consolidating peace and PREV.
The participatory methodology adopted in the two training sessions allowed the participants to share various cases of radicalisation and violent extremism in their communities. The trainees recounted ethnically and religiously motivated conflicts in the Quinará and Tombali regions, including cases that resulted in the segregation of places of worship by ethnicity.
In addition, other factors fuelling conflicts in the communities were discussed, such as land ownership disputes; cattle theft; organised crime, including drug trafficking; accusations and attacks against citizens accused of practising witchcraft; and the inoperability of the justice system. These problems were particularly highlighted in the regions of Cacheu and Oio.
There were also reports of hate speech on social networks, motivated by political disputes, and episodes of religious intolerance between followers of traditional African religion (animism) and believers in monotheistic religions. According to the testimony of several participants, the country runs the risk of a worsening REV situation if concrete inclusive prevention measures are not adopted by the competent authorities.
At the end of the two training sessions, the participants recommended new initiatives aimed at different national actors in the field of REV prevention; the need to reinforce community awareness-raising actions; and the creation of mechanisms for articulation between the national authorities and different religious and traditional actors, through regional consultation spaces, for the effective prevention of this phenomenon in Guinea-Bissau.
It should be added that these training sessions were facilitated by Observatory technicians who had previously been trained by the Timbuktu Institute, a Senegalese think tank with experience in this area.
The Peace Observatory – Nô Cudji Paz is a project funded by the European Union and co-financed by Camões – Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, I.P., implemented by the Marquês de Valle Flôr Institute (IMVF) and the Guinean Human Rights League (LGDH). The action aims to contribute to dialogue and the promotion of peace by strengthening participation, networking and establishing strategic partnerships between civil society organisations and other social and political actors, with a view to preventing radicalisation and violent extremism in Guinea-Bissau.
The action contributes directly to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
SDG 16 – Peace, justice and effective institutions – Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
