‘The Ambivalence of the Sacred’: Religion and Mediation in Northern Nigeria, 2000-2005

Abstract

It is generally believed that the position, influence and commitment arising from
the moral and emotional credentials of religious actors serve as advantages over
other actors when it comes to third party intervention, particularly in the realm of
mediation. The question then becomes to what extent can these qualities promote
successful mediation i.e. conflict transformation, which is the ultimate goal of
mediation efforts during conflict. This study is a qualitative analysis of the levels
of success achieved by faith-based mediation in three outstanding conflicts - the
Yelwa, the Jos and the Kaduna conflicts in Plateau and Kaduna States of Nigeria
between 2001 and 2005. This analysis is anchored on the three levels of success,
namely process or output level, outcome or short-term level, and impact or long-term
level. The position, influence and experience of mediators, as well as other factors
such as timing, neutrality, external influence and the process of mediation are some
of the explanations for the potential success or failure of mediation efforts at the
output level and short-term level in the three conflicts. However, beyond these two,
mediation’s success at the level of long-term impact, as recorded in Yelwa, is tied to
(i) the engagement of the real owners of the conflict and peace dynamics and (ii)
the willingness of the latter to engage in peace. It is therefore the position of this
paper that no matter the influence, appropriateness and acceptability of a religious
actor involved in conflict resolution, the responsibility to transform conflict largely
remains with the parties to the conflict.