Peace agreement between the Fulani, Dogon and Dafing communities of the municipality of Ouenkoro

Export agreement:

Export agreement coding (PDF)

Country/entity: Mali
Region: Africa (excl MENA)
Agreement name: Peace agreement between the Fulani, Dogon and Dafing communities of the municipality of Ouenkoro
Date: 16 Aug 2019
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/local conflict
Mali: Dogon-Fulani and other local conflicts (2015 -)
An initially intercommunal conflict between Dogon and Fulani (known in Mali as Peulh) communities in the Mopti region in central Mali, which has strong regional and national dimensions as well. The conflict emerged in 2015 from disputes over access to natural resources and land management between traditionally sedentary agriculturalists, the Dogon community, and semi-nomadic pastoralists and traders, the Fulani community. Given the state’s failure in providing security, various communities, including the Dozo community, grouped into militias, with the umbrella group Dan Na Ambassagou (DNA) comprising Dogon local defence militias. The intercommunal violence that ensued quickly became a regional emergency crisis, as extremist groups emerging from the northern regions to gain a foothold in the region benefited from this security vacuum by reinforcing the conflict through recruiting local population. In turn, the threat of extremist attacks fed back into the establishment of local defence militias. The emergence of Malian extremists in the Mopti region has triggered the internationalization of the conflict witnessing the intervention of international security forces, main missions being a Joint Force by the G5 Sahel, United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), and the French Operation Serval (SOV). Given Mali’s colonial historical relationship with France, these interventions have de facto further added to the complexities of this conflict’s drivers. Reconciliation efforts on both local and state level culminated in a ceasefire agreement in 2018. However, in the run up to the July 2018 elections the region saw an upsurge in violent clashes with civilians by communal militias, with increasing violent activities by Dozo militias. In 2019 there was a sharp increase of violent attacks by militias, militaries and extremists, with violence against civilians being most common.
Stage: Framework/substantive - comprehensive
Conflict nature: Inter-group
Peace process: Mali Local Processes
Parties: Signatories to the Peace Agreement between the Peulh, Dogon and Dafing communities of
Ouenkoro

A representative of the Peulh community
A representative of the Dogon community
A representative of the Dafing community
A representative of the Peulh self-defense groups
A representative of the Dogon self-defense groups
Third parties: Ongoing mediation presence provided by local authorities and key local figureheads - no names clearly listed. Supported by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.
Description: Short inter-communal reconciliatory agreement between the communities of Ouenkoro in the Mopti region of Mali. The provisions address reconciliation and DDR and also issues around access to villages for trade and to pastoral resources. There are also substantive arrangements for community formed monitoring commissions.

Agreement document: ML_190816_Peace agreement between the Fulani, Dogon and Dafing communities of the municipality of Ouenkoro.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF
Agreement document (original language): ML_190816_Peace agreement between the Fulani, Dogon and Dafing communities of the municipality of Ouenkoro.pdf (opens in new tab)| Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth: No specific mention.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: No specific mention.
Religious groups: No specific mention.
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: Groups→Refugees/displaced persons→Rhetorical
Page 3, Chapter III: Commitments of the Parties, Article 4: The Parties jointly commit to:
c)Facilitating the rapid return of displaced persons to their respective villages;

Page 4, Chapter V: Implementation monitoring, Article 7: A Monitoring Committee will be set up, whose mission is to:

...d) Facilitate the return of displaced people and their reintegration into the community.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: No specific mention.
Men and boys: No specific mention.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general): Page 4, Chapter IV: Recommendations to the State, Article 6: The Parties request that the State support their peace efforts in the commune of Ouenkoro. More specifically, the Parties request that the State:,
... d) Encourage its representatives, in particular, those of the justice system and of the Defense and Security Forces, to behave in an irreproachable manner;
State configuration: No specific mention.
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: No specific mention.
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: No specific mention.
Cross-border provision: No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): No specific mention.
Elections: No specific mention.
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: No specific mention.
Civil society: Page 3, Chapter III: Commitments of the Parties, Article 4: The Parties jointly commit to:,
... f) Respecting and ensure respect for the rules of access to pastoral resources, and facilitate the smooth running of agricultural and livestock activities;

Page 4, Chapter III: Commitments of the Parties, Article 8: 15 members appointed by consensus to represent all of the communities will make up the Monitoring Committee. There will be three people for each of the communities, including two at the local level and a key figure. There will also be four representatives of community and armed groups, a blacksmith, and a Bozo.
Traditional/religious leaders: Page 3, Chapter III: Commitments of the Parties, Article 4: The Parties jointly commit to:,
... g) Encouraging community leaders to dedicate themselves to peace by spreading messages of cohesion and appeasement;
Public administration: No specific mention.
Constitution: No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing: No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing: No specific mention.
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: No specific mention.
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: Rights related issues→Media and communication→Other
Page 3, Chapter III: Commitments of the Parties, Article 4: The Parties jointly commit to:,
... g) Encouraging community leaders to dedicate themselves to peace by spreading messages of cohesion and appeasement;

Page 3, Chapter III: Commitments of the Parties, Article 4: The Parties jointly commit to:,
... i) Circulating this Agreement at a community level and report on its implementation regularly to the communities.
Mobility/access: Page 3, Chapter III: Commitments of the Parties, Article 4: The Parties jointly commit to:,
... f) Respecting and ensure respect for the rules of access to pastoral resources, and facilitate the smooth running of agricultural and livestock activities;
Protection measures: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: No specific mention.
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: Socio-economic reconstruction→Development or socio-economic reconstruction→Humanitarian assistance
Chapter IV: Recommendations to the State, Article 6: The Parties request that the State support their peace efforts in the commune of Ouenkoro. More specifically, the Parties request that the State:,
...b) Provide humanitarian assistance commensurate with the needs of the communities
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: Page 3, Chapter III: Commitments of the Parties, Article 4: The Parties jointly commit to:,
... f) Respecting and ensure respect for the rules of access to pastoral resources, and facilitate the smooth running of agricultural and livestock activities;
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: Page 3, Chapter III: Commitments of the Parties, Article 4: The Parties jointly commit to:,
... d) Contributing to lifting embargoes around villages and markets;
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: Land, property and environment→Land reform/rights→Property return and restitution
Page 3, Chapter III: Commitments of the Parties, Article 4: The Parties jointly commit to:,
... e) Opposing the theft of livestock regardless of the owner's community, and returning stolen goods to their owners;
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: Page 3, Chapter III: Commitments of the Parties, Article 4: The Parties jointly commit to:,
... f) Respecting and ensure respect for the rules of access to pastoral resources, and facilitate the smooth running of agricultural and livestock activities;
Cultural heritage: No specific mention.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: Page 4, Chapter IV: Recommendations to the State, Article 6: The Parties request that the State support their peace efforts in the commune of Ouenkoro. More specifically, the Parties request that the State:
a) Take all the necessary measures, in particular, to facilitate the deployment of the Defense and Security Forces, for the security of people and their property in the area concerned and the entire Mopti region;
Ceasefire: No specific mention.
Police: No specific mention.
Armed forces: No specific mention.
DDR: Security sector→DDR→DDR programmes
Page 4, Chapter IV: Recommendations to the State, Article 6: The Parties request that the State support their peace efforts in the commune of Ouenkoro. More specifically, the Parties request that the State:
e) Expand the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) process officially launched to youth centers in areas affected by armed groups
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: Page 4, Chapter III: Commitments of the Parties, Article 5: The Parties commit to working together to approach all the armed groups operating in the area, whether they come from Mali or from the neighboring communes of Barani, Din, and Kombori in Burkina Faso, in order to gain their respect for this Agreement and its Implementation.

Page 4, Chapter III: Commitments of the Parties, Article 8: 15 members appointed by consensus to represent all of the communities will make up the Monitoring Committee. There will be three people for each of the communities, including two at the local level and a key figure. There will also be four representatives of community and armed groups,
...
Withdrawal of foreign forces: No specific mention.
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: No specific mention.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: No specific mention.
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: No specific mention.
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: No specific mention.
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: No specific mention.
Reconciliation: No specific mention.

Implementation

UN signatory: No specific mention.
Other international signatory: No specific mention.
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: No specific mention.
Enforcement mechanism: Page 4, Chapter V: Implementation monitoring, Article 7: A Monitoring Committee will be set up, whose mission is to:,
a) Regularly update the Parties on the progress made in implementing the commitments made under this Agreement in order to strengthen its scope;
b) Prevent and manage disputes between the Parties that may lead to non-compliance with this Agreement;

Page 5, Chapter VII: Final provisions,
Article 12: The Parties undertake to meet at least once during the first year following the signing of this Agreement in order to take stock of the implementation of the Agreement and, if necessary, renew and adjust the commitments.
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: Available from https://www.hdcentre.org/updates/signing-of-a-peace-agreement-between-the-fulani-dogon-and-dafing-communities-of-the-municipality-of-ouenkoro-in-mali/ (Accessed on 1/4/2020).

Peace agreement between the Peulh, Dogon and Dafing communities of Ouenkoro

Bankass Circle, Mopti region, Mali

August 2019

Preamble

We, the Peulh, Dogon and Dafing communities of Ouenkoro, hereinafter referred to as the Parties;

Remembering that our communities once coexisted peacefully together in the commune of Ouenkoro;

Taking into account the results of the previous reconciliation efforts led by traditional and religious authorities, elected officials, and local key figures;

Aware that the conflict which has opposed us for more than a year is fueling the security crisis which shakes the circle of Bankass but also the region of Mopti in general;

Aware that these tensions are exacerbated by the high level of insecurity in the region marked by the strong presence of local and jihadist armed groups;

Welcoming the fact that the armed groups of each community in the present peace process are among the signatories to this Agreement;

Aware that for this Agreement to be successful it must be respected by the local armed groups, whether they come from Mali or from the neighboring municipalities of Barani, Din or Kombori in Burkina Faso, else we see the clashes continue ;

Aware that the tensions involving the members of our respective communities may not immediately end with the signing of this Agreement, but will require a constant commitment on our part to manage disputes peacefully;

Determined to work to improve peaceful coexistence between our communities;

Gathered in Ouenkoro as part of the mediation undertaken over a month by the local authorities and key figures, with the support of the Center for humanitarian dialogue;

Agree on the following, and to implement the provisions of this Agreement in full and in good faith, recognizing our primary responsibility in this regard;

Chapter I:

General Points

Article 1:

With this Agreement, the Parties declare peace between them and commit to making every effort to maintain it.

Chapter II:

Causes and consequences of the conflict

Article 2:

The Parties agree that the conflict between them is the result of the following elements:

Repeated attacks and looting of villages and market stalls by armed individuals;

Targeted assassinations of influential figures;

The massive-scale theft of herds of cattle;

Poverty and lack of professional prospects for young people;

Embargoes on certain villages, weekly markets, health centers, etc ;

The absence of the State and the Defense and Security Forces in the area

The presence of community armed groups and the feeling on both sides that the neighboring community joins them to take revenge against the other community;

Frustration due to conflicts over access to intercommunal natural resources that are not resolved or are poorly resolved.

Article 3:

The Parties agree that the conflict between them that has taken place in Ouenkoro for a year has resulted in the following:

The deaths of dozens of people;

The massive displacement of residents of Ouenkoro villages and hamlets to Mopti, Bamako and to the border with Burkina Faso;

The massive-scale theft of herds of cattle;

Restrictions on the free movement of people between municipalities and on access to cultivatable land, as well as to the Ouenkoro markets and health centers.

Chapter III:

Commitments of the Parties

Article 4:

The Parties jointly commit to:

Ceasing all violence and alerting the relevant authorities in the event of threats or attacks;

Firmly condemning all acts of aggression and violence that may be committed by members of their community;

Facilitating the rapid return of displaced persons to their respective villages;

Contributing to lifting embargoes around villages and markets;

Opposing the theft of livestock regardless of the owner's community, and returning stolen goods to their owners;

Respecting and ensure respect for the rules of access to pastoral resources, and facilitate the smooth running of agricultural and livestock activities;

Encouraging community leaders to dedicate themselves to peace by spreading messages of cohesion and appeasement;

Supporting legitimate figures at a local level to find amicable solutions to cohabitation problems

Circulating this Agreement at a community level and report on its implementation regularly to the communities.

Article 5:

The Parties commit to working together to approach all the armed groups operating in the area, whether they come from Mali or from the neighboring communes of Barani, Din, and Kombori in Burkina Faso, in order to gain their respect for this Agreement and its Implementation.

Chapter IV:

Recommendations to the State

Article 6:

The Parties request that the State support their peace efforts in the commune of Ouenkoro.

More specifically, the Parties request that the State:

Take all the necessary measures, in particular, to facilitate the deployment of the Defense and Security Forces, for the security of people and their property in the area concerned and the entire Mopti region;

Provide humanitarian assistance commensurate with the needs of the communities

Contribute to the sustainability of the Agreement by supporting the Parties in their approach to dialogue with armed persons, in order to ensure their adhesion to the process, and by supporting of the Agreement's monitoring committee;

Encourage its representatives, in particular, those of the justice system and of the Defense and Security Forces, to behave in an irreproachable manner;

Expand the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) process officially launched to youth centers in areas affected by armed groups.

Chapter V:

Implementation monitoring

Article 7:

A Monitoring Committee will be set up, whose mission is to:

Regularly update the Parties on the progress made in implementing the commitments made under this Agreement in order to strengthen its scope;

Prevent and manage disputes between the Parties that may lead to non-compliance with this Agreement;

Identify, if necessary, additional measures necessary for the inter-communal reconciliation process.

Facilitate the return of displaced people and their reintegration into the community.

Article 8:

15 members appointed by consensus to represent all of the communities will make up the Monitoring Committee.

There will be three people for each of the communities, including two at the local level and a key figure.

There will also be four representatives of community and armed groups, a blacksmith, and a Bozo.

Chapter VI:

Dispute management

Article 9:

The parties will do everything in their power to settle amicably and by negotiation any dispute arising between them, in the spirit of cooperation and friendship which underlies this peace agreement.

Article 10:

In the event of a breach of the application of this Agreement or in the event of a dispute relating to its interpretation, the Parties will refer the matter to the Monitoring Committee so that a consensual solution is identified and applied.

Article 11:

In the event of a serious breach of the application of this Agreement, and of a failure of all attempts at negotiation to remedy it, the Parties may terminate this Agreement.

Such termination will take effect on a specified termination date.

In this case, the Parties will take all necessary measures to minimize the impact of such a decision on the peace efforts already undertaken.

Chapter VII:

Final provisions

Article 12:

The Parties undertake to meet at least once during the first year following the signing of this Agreement in order to take stock of the implementation of the Agreement and, if necessary, renew and adjust the commitments.

Article 13:

This Agreement shall enter into force from the date of its signature by the Parties.

Done in Ouenkoro, August 16, 2019

Signatories to the Peace Agreement between the Peulh, Dogon and Dafing communities of Ouenkoro

A representative of the Peulh community

A representative of the Dogon community

A representative of the Dafing community

A representative of the Peulh self-defense groups

A representative of the Dogon self-defense groups