New York, USA, March 21, 2023-/African Media Agency(AMA)/”Every identity and difference… in countries and continents… it is not difficult to choose peace.” The lines are from a new poem created to mark the 75th anniversary of the UN peacekeeping operation.
Entitled “Peace begins with me” the poem pays tribute to the strength and resilience of conflict-affected communities as well as those who help rebuild their lives and livelihoods. It is a reminder of our responsibility to promote peace in our communities, countries and around the world – a conviction that has led more than two million men and women to serve in more than 70 peacekeeping operations since 1948.
“Peace means everything to me” said Pacifique Akilimali, who wrote a poem with Nigerian peace activist and poet Maryam Abu Hassan. “The only thing I know since I was born is war… peace has been a dream for a long time now.”
Pacifique, who works in the aviation team of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), grew up in North Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), an area affected by decades of violence between armed groups.
“All the wars and conflicts have gone nowhere,” added Maryam, a native of Borno state in northern Nigeria, where insurgency and relentless extremism have plagued people for more than a decade.
In this country nine years ago, nearly 300 schoolgirls, also known as Chibok girls, were kidnapped by armed separatists, Boko Haram. Today, many are still missing.
For Maryam, “peace is not only the absence of conflict but also the presence of justice, equality, and respect for human dignity. Everyone deserves to have and seek peace.”
Grown in Goma, North Kivu
“Growing up in North Kivu in the DRC was not easy,” says Pacifique.
In 1994, when he was born, the genocide in Rwanda plunged the DRC into one of the biggest conflicts in African history. According to the International Rescue Committee, from 1998 to 2007, an estimated 5.4 million people died as a result of the conflict in the DRC.
“In 1997, I became a refugee with my whole family. My father and I were captured by a group of rebels, and my father was about to be shot because some of the military considered him to be in a different ethnic group,” said Pacifique, adding that his father almost escaped death when one of them the rebel leader knew. him and let them go.
“I remember when the UN Mission came to my country and my father told me that these people came to bring us peace.”
In 1999, the UN Security Council established the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) to monitor the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement between the DRC and the neighboring countries of Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
More than a decade later, the Council created MONUSCO as an extension of MONUC, broadening the scope of the new mission to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian access, and help ex-combatants disarm and reintegrate into society, as armed conflicts persist mainly in the east.
Speaking about the strength of the community in North Kivu that has experienced violence and suffering, Pacifique said “The city of Goma is still alive. When you come to this city, you wonder how these people can be happy, sing, dance, love and hope in such is the state of life. Everyone here hopes for peace, and we pray.”
Finding ways to develop in Borno state
Maryam feels equally inspired by the strength of the people of Borno state which has been the epicenter of extremism and violent terrorism in Nigeria and the Sahel region for more than a decade.
The armed conflict, fueled by groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province, has displaced an estimated 2 million people today, many of them women and children, who are still unable to return home due to unpredictable attacks. civilians.
“Borno is generally reported to be an area affected by conflict, violence and insurgency,” Maryam said. “What is true is that there is more to it than this single narrative.”
“Borno is a country rich in culture and diversity, with a vibrant history and tradition passed down from generation to generation. Despite everything we have been through, we have found ways to develop.
75 years of peacekeeping
Over the past 75 years, UN Peacekeeping, a critical global instrument for maintaining peace, security, and stability, has evolved to adapt to the changing political landscape and nature of conflict.
What began as a mission to observe a ceasefire in Palestine in 1948 is now a complex operation of military, police and civilians working together to support communities and countries transitioning from war to peace.
Borno State and eastern DRC are two places where chronic violence has turned into a complex conflict led by multiple armed groups, with most civilians suffering damage and destruction.
Today, nearly 90 percent of the world’s war victims are civilians, says the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Working alongside local communities, peacekeepers today strive to protect civilians, disarm weapons, support political and electoral processes, strengthen human rights and the rule of law, and promote peace and sustainable development.
They are called ‘Blue Helmets’ but wear different hats, including as engineers, administrators, lawyers, economists and election observers, to help people recover and rebuild their lives, institutions and societies.
Observed under the theme “Peace begins with me” the 75th anniversary celebrates the peacemakers of the world – from peacekeepers, local community leaders to activists – who champion everyday peace.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of of A NEWS.
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