Governors’ Forum of the Lake Chad Basin on Thursday officially launched the Community-Based Reconciliation and Reintegration (CBRR) Policy and the Transitional Justice Framework in a major step towards fostering peace and stability in the region.
The initiative was inspired by the successful adoption of the “Borno Model,” conceived and implementated by the administration of Borno State governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, aimed to address the challenges posed by Boko Haram insurgency through a comprehensive, community-driven approach.
Governor Zulum, during the launch of the documents, highlighted the origins of the CBRR initiative, recalling its inception in 2015 during his tenure as Commissioner for Reconciliation, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement.
“We introduced the idea of community-based reconciliation and reintegration with the support of the UNDP and European Union through a series of validation workshops within and outside the state, the policy was ultimately approved during the administration of Vice President Kashim Shettima as governor,” Zulum stated.
Governor Zulum emphasized that kinetic military actions alone are insufficient to end the insurgency, underscoring the need for socio-economic and political strategies to address the crisis.
Upon assuming office, he led a comprehensive review of the CBRR framework to incorporate feedback from key stakeholders, including traditional rulers, victims, federal government representatives, the military, UN agencies, and international NGOs. The result was a set of 17 strategic recommendations aimed at achieving lasting peace.
“A key resolution from the forum was the decision to accept and reintegrate willing Boko Haram and ISWAP defectors while establishing a traditional justice mechanism to facilitate reconciliation”.
Governor Zulum expressed satisfaction that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has adopted Borno’s model to create a regional framework for reintegration.
The governor also announced significant progress in the implementation of the initiative, including: the mass surrender of over 200,000 repentant insurgents and their families in the past two years, sustained community engagement efforts, provision of psycho-social support and empowerment programmes to aid reintegration.
He emphasized that thousands of the repentant insurgents have been successfully reintegrated into their communities.
“The best way to defeat insurgency is through dialogue,” Governor Zulum concluded.
