Topic: Containing and De-Escalating Sectarian Conflict
Country: Nigeria
Delegate Name: Abigail Choffel
School: Grand Rapids City High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Nigeria position papers GLIMUN 2015 committees
The Federal Republic of Nigeria is no stranger to sectarian conflict. It has been six years since the Islamist insurgency group Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, more commonly known as Boko Haram, gained a foothold in our northern provinces of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe. Since then the United Nations has confirmed over 15,000 casualties. The Office of the Special Representative and the Secretary General for Children and Armed conflicts reports that over 1 million of our people, the majority being women and children, have been displaced. Furthermore the intensity of this conflict has spread outside of our own borders and into the neighboring Republics of Chad, Cameroon, and Niger. While in recent months the coalition formed by these West-African nations have been able to somewhat push back Boko Haram, the effects of the conflict continue to devastate the region.
Furthermore the Federal Republic of Nigeria understands that we are not the only nation to face such horrific conflicts. Like most of the world, we are aghast by the acts of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. We fear the rise of Al-Qaeda both in the Arabian Peninsula and our neighbor Mali. Next door the Central African Republic is being torn apart by Seleka and Anti-Balaka forces. Further east we witness the grave effects of Al-Shabab on Somalia. Across an ocean Myanmar is being torn apart by the violence of Buddhists on Muslim Rohingyas. It is clear to Nigeria that sectarian violence is a global issue and what has been made even clearer by the sectarian violence are own nation faces is what the effects of this violence will be. Not only have millions of lives been lost, but millions more have been displaced as a result of these conflicts, and even more will follow suit if no action is taken. Nigeria stands firm that something must be done.
First we believe that our immediate action must be to tackle the conflicts already set in motion. Nigeria is currently one of the largest contributors to United Nation’s peacekeeping missions, deploying military contingents, unarmed military observers, military staff officers, formed police units, police advisors and civilian experts to over 25 UN missions. While lately we have been forced to cut back on our aide to UN peacekeeping missions due to the need to contain violence in our own region, Nigeria firmly believes that UN peacekeeping operations are vital to the success of a country facing sectarian conflict. Studies done by both Yale and Columbia University have found that the presence of a large peacekeeping operation in a country emerging from civil war significantly reduced the chances of that society slipping back into violence. Furthermore these studies have found that a region in the midst of conflict is more likely to experience a quicker road to peace with a UN presence than without one. Therefore the Federal Republic of Nigeria firmly stands in favor of such peacekeeping missions.
However, another question arises: how do we prevent sectarian conflict in the first place? To answer this we must examine the overarching causes of such conflicts. More often than not nations that experience such conflict our also experiencing economic instability. This instability can quickly lead to social and political unrest between sects due to the fact that one group is usually experiencing greater prosperity than another. One answer to such a cause is to call upon the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to promote more international trade among developing nations. An increase in international trade will allow that nation to prosper economically, benefiting its citizens. However there is again the issue that often inequality exist between sects which can quickly lead to violent unrest. For example, if we look at Iraq we can see that one of the major causes for rise of the Sunni led Islamic State is that the Shia majority had long suppressed that specific sect. Therefore Nigeria believes the United Nations should begin examining regions of the world where a minority is being suppressed both economically and socially and from there take action. While some may believe that political representation of minorities is more important, there are many instances where a majority can role yet the minority still prospers, and in fact there is actually a greater chance of conflict if a minority is in power, as can be seen through the conflict in Syria. Therefore Nigeria believes that when it comes to the equality of different minority sects, the focus should be on economic and social equality rather than political. The United Nations can work toward this equality through the UN Network on Racial Discrimination and Protection of Minorities so as to ensure equality for all. While Nigeria recognizes that there are many other causes of sectarian violence, and subsequently multiple different answers, we believe that these two issues are the most prevalent and therefore should be given the utmost attention.
Sectarian conflict can easily be labeled as one of the most dangerous issues our world faces. It not only has cost us millions of lives, but it has led to the mass displacement of peoples, affecting regions of the world half an ocean away from where the conflict actually takes place. The United Nations has a duty to work towards an end to these conflicts. It is up to us to help stabilize our world. The Federal Republic of Nigeria, a nation ravaged by its own conflict, understands the far reaching implications of what such conflict can do to a region. Sectarian conflict can easily be labeled as one of the most dangerous issues our world faces. It not only has cost us millions of lives, but it has led to the mass displacement of peoples, affecting regions of the world half an ocean away from where the conflict actually takes place. The United Nations has a duty to work towards an end to these conflicts. It is up to us to help stabilize our world. The Federal Republic of Nigeria, a nation ravaged by its own conflict, understands the far reaching implications of what such conflict can do to a region. It is critical to spread tolerance and make known the rights of minorities to live in areas they had inhabited for many generations. A strong and clear message needs to be sent to all extremists, and we must show resolve by immediate delivery of humanitarian assistance. The Federal Republic of Nigeria will stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against violent extremism and other intolerance. We refuse to let this pattern of conflict continue any longer and will do whatever we can to assist in the peace process.
Works Cited
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