Agreement between Idourfane and Ibogolitane communities from the regions of Gao and Ménaka in Mali and the region of Tillabéry in Niger (Gao agreement)

Country/entity
Mali
Niger
Region
Africa (excl MENA)
Agreement name
Agreement between Idourfane and Ibogolitane communities from the regions of Gao and Ménaka in Mali and the region of Tillabéry in Niger (Gao agreement)
Date
20 Nov 2018
Agreement status
Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement
Yes
Agreement/conflict level
Intrastate/local conflict
Stage
Framework/substantive - partial
Conflict nature
Inter-group
Peace process
Mali Local Processes
Parties
Signatories for the lbogolitane community:

1. Houmeidi AG WARIFOUDE, chief of the Inzagalane fraction and area

2. Hamadou Hamadou AG TAWINGUILA, religious leader

3. Sabaya AG EMALI, community leader


Signatories for the Idourfane community:

1. Daniel AG MOHAMED, Fraction Leader and Former Mayor of Tin Hamma

2. Hamad-na AG ABDOULAYE, religious leader

3. Abdourahmane AG MOHAMED ELMOCTAR, young leader
Third parties
Witness signatories:

1. Ahmed AG Egarwey, President of the Temporary Authority of Ansongo

2. Aklinine AG ABOGOLY, Municipal Councillor of the Menaka Town Hall

3. Rhissa AG MOSSA, Member of the Regional Team for Support to the Reconciliation of Gao

[Note: The agreement additionally refers to 'mediation undertaken for a month by the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue to support the stabilization efforts of the Government of Mali and the international community in northern Mali;' (p. 1).]
Description
Local peace agreement addressing inter-communal violence in the Mali-Niger border area with provisions on the use of traditional mediation mechanisms to resolve disputes, the return of displaced persons, and natural resource governance. Agreement parties commit to end confrontations and call on the Malian and Nigerien state authorities and its partners to provide humanitarian aid and to support the peace process.

Local agreement properties

Process type
Formal structured process
Isolated example
Rationale
This agreement was signed in the context of a mediation process 'undertaken for a month by the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue to support the stabilization efforts of the Government of Mali and the international community in northern Mali' (p.2). Limited contextual research does not suggest a track record of signing such agreements between communities across the Mali-Niger border.
Is there a documented link to a national peace process?
No
Link to national process: articulated rationale
Neither the agreement text nor limited background research suggests a link to the national-level peace process.
Name of Locale
Gao and Ménaka regions (Mali) and Tillabéry region (Niger)
Nature of Locale
Region
GPS Lat/Long (DD)
15.278855, 1.325377
Participant type
Local state actor
International or transnational actor
Domestic religious organisation/leader or other elder
Regional state actor
Mediator, facilitator or similar
Mediator or similar referred to
Mediator (references)
Mediator: Center for Humanitarian Dialogue
Type of mediator/facilitator/similar
International or transnational actor

Local issues

Ritual/prayer and process (including use of scripture)

No specific mention.

Grievance List
Page 2, Preamble, Recalling that since the 1990s, the conflict that has shaken the border region have weakened social cohesion and reduced the mobility of people - in the past a source of cultural mixing;
Recalling that the availability of natural resources is constantly decreasing, resulting in deadly conflicts over access to these resources;
Recalling that the communities sought the support of armed groups in their confrontations which cost around sixty people their life;
Conscious that violence cannot resolve the conflict between them and that the cycles of attacks and rebuttals must stop;
Aware that the conflict which has taken place between them for more than a year is fueling the security crisis which is shaking the border region between Mali and Niger;
Cattle rustling/banditry
Page 3, Chapter 1: Terms of the peace agreement, Section 1: General commitments of the parties, Article 2: Aware that the tensions and conflicts involving the members of their respective communities will not end immediately with the signing of this Agreement;
...
- Oppose theft / looting of livestock regardless of the owner and facilitate the search for stolen goods and animals so that they can be returned to their owners;
Social cover

No specific mention.

Peace agreement between Idourfane and Ibogolitane communities from the regions of Gao and Ménaka in Mali and the region of Tillabéry in Niger

November 2018

Preamble

We, the Idourfane and lbogolitane communities of the regions of Gao and Menaka in Mali and the Tillabery region of Niger, hereinafter called the Parties;

Recalling that in the past the communities of Kel Tamasheqs and Peulh, whose main activity is livestock farming, coexisted peacefully in the border region between Mali and Niger and used the same pastoral resources;

Recalling that since the 1990s, the conflict that has shaken the border region have weakened social cohesion and reduced the mobility of people - in the past a source of cultural mixing;

Recalling that the availability of natural resources is constantly decreasing, resulting in deadly conflicts over access to these resources;

Recalling that the communities sought the support of armed groups in their confrontations which cost around sixty people their life;

Conscious that violence cannot resolve the conflict between them and that the cycles of attacks and rebuttals must stop;

Aware that the conflict which has taken place between them for more than a year is fueling the security crisis which is shaking the border region between Mali and Niger;

Meeting in Gao as part of the mediation undertaken for a month by the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue to support the stabilization efforts of the Government of Mali and the international community in northern Mali;

Commit to implement, in full and in good faith, the provisions of this Agreement by recognizing our primary responsibility in this regard.

Chapter 1:

Terms of the peace agreement

Section 1:

General commitments of the parties

Article 1:

The parties hereby declare peace between them and forgive each other for the past attacks of which their respective communities have been the victims.

Article 2:

Aware that the tensions and conflicts involving the members of their respective communities will not end immediately with the signing of this Agreement;

Determined to strive for peace;

The parties jointly commit to:

• End the confrontations and jointly condemn any act of violence likely to be committed in the future by any members of their community;

• Refer to the relevant authorities of Mali and Niger in the event of threats or attacks;

• Favor the use of traditional mediation mechanisms to prevent and resolve their disputes;

• Sensitize young people and opinion leaders to commit to promoting peace and only spread messages of appeasement on social networks;

• Facilitate the return of displaced persons to their original locations;

• Offer condolences to the families of the victims through the leaders of both community;

• Oppose theft / looting of livestock regardless of the owner and facilitate the search for stolen goods and animals so that they can be returned to their owners;

• Follow up on the implementation of this agreement and report on it to the community.

Article 3:

The parties request the States of Mali and Niger to support their pacification efforts for the benefit of peaceful inter-communal coexistence.

More specifically, the parties request:

• To the governors of the regions of Gao and Menaka in Mali and of Tillabery in Niger to continue their actions in favor of social cohesion and endogenous security initiatives along the border.

• To the two States and their partners to work to provide humanitarian aid proportional to needs and to promote financial relief for the area.

• To the State of Mali to speed up the implementation of the demobilization, dismantling, and reintegration process of the armed groups provided for by the 2015 Agreement for Peace and National Reconciliation in Mali.

• To the State of Niger to continue its dialogue with the armed groups of the North Tillabery region so that these may be reintegrated into society.

• To the two States to strengthen the legitimacy of the traditional and religious local authorities so that they are able, as in the past, to work to prevent and deal with tensions and conflicts in an impartial manner.

Article 4:

The parties request the armed groups of the CMA, the Platform, and the MSA to support the implementation of this Agreement and to increase their involvement for the benefit of cohesion between the two communities.

Section II:

Access to pastoral resources (water points, passage of animals, etc.)

Article 5:

In addition to Article 2 of this Agreement, the parties:

• undertake to invest themselves fully alongside all the authorities in the successful management of conflicts related to access to natural resources;

• recall that to this end it is essential to revitalize traditional conflict-management mechanisms for peaceful use of agro-pastoral resources;

• recall that it is possible to call on the mediation services of the network of 316 community mediators established in 22 border municipalities to prevent and peacefully manage conflicts on access to natural resources.

Article 6:

The parties request the national and regional authorities to organize campaigns to disseminate the pastoral charter and to promote local conventions relating to the management of pastoral resources.

Chapter II:

Terms and conditions

Article 7:

In order to monitor the implementation of this peace agreement, a monitoring committee is put in place.

A maximum of ten members will constitute it and must be appointed by consensus to represent all the signatory members.

The mission of this monitoring committee is to:

• Share with the Niger authorities this Agreement so that they support its implementation and therefore strengthen its scope;

• Take stock of the progress made in implementing the commitments made under this agreement with the parties in order to strengthen its scope;

• Prevent and manage disputes between the parties which may lead to non-compliance with this agreement.

For purposes of arbitration in the event of any issues, the Parties undertake involve representatives of the State and the elected authorities of Mali and Niger.

Article 8:

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.

Thus, in the event of failure to implement this Agreement or in the event of a dispute relating to its interpretation, the Parties will use the Monitoring Committee so that a consensus solution is identified and applied.

Article 9:

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

Such a decision 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.

Article 11:

This Agreement comes into force from the date of signature.

In witness whereof the parties have signed this peace agreement in 10 copies in the French language.

Done at Gao on November 20, 2018

Signatories for the lbogolitane community:

1. Houmeidi AG WARIFOUDE, chief of the Inzagalane fraction and area

2. Hamadou Hamadou AG TAWINGUILA, religious leader

3. Sabaya AG EMALI, community leader

Signatories for the Idourfane community:

1. Daniel AG MOHAMED, Fraction Leader and Former Mayor of Tin Hamma

2. Hamad-na AG ABDOULAYE, religious leader

3. Abdourahmane AG MOHAMED ELMOCTAR, young leader

Witness signatories:

1. Ahmed AG Egarwey, President of the Temporary Authority of Ansongo

2. Aklinine AG ABOGOLY, Municipal Councillor of the Menaka Town Hall

3. Rhissa AG MOSSA, Member of the Regional Team for Support to the Reconciliation of Gao