By Maimuma Sey Jawo
Caritas -Gambia through its Electoral Violence Monitoring Analysis and Mitigation (EMAM) Project, Thursday ended a 4-day forum for various religious leaders and Youths on peace building ahead of December 4th presidential election.
The aim of the 4 days training is to build the capacity of religious leaders and Youth on early warning, conflict prevention and peace building.
The first Three days of the training was mainly for 40 Youths selected from different election violence hotspots in the different regions across the country and the fourth day was for 18 Imams priest and, Pastors Alliance.
The training was held at the Gambia Pastoral Institution along the Kairaba Avenue.
Speaking during the Training Francis Mendy, Director of Caritas Gambia, said the objective of the training is to build capacity of 40 Youths on early warning, conflict prevention and peace with a daylong training for religious leaders to enjoin them to embrace and promote peaceful Co-existence and tolerance.
He said: “the objective of the project is to hold 7 advocacy meetings with identified communities in the 8 selected hotspot areas and to create forum for religious leaders to brainstorm, identify contending issues surrounding the forthcoming election and the possible role they could play in maintaining potential election violence before, during and after elections.”
According to him, Civil Society Organization especially faith-based organisations hold key spaces for the promotion of peace and development, with the proximity to communities. And mosques and churches have immeasurable capacities for leading positive change in The Gambia.
He said the goal for the intervention is for the participants to serve as ambassador for peace and society cohesion to encourage civic education and peaceful participation in the elections.
The Caritas Director went further that The Gambia political system is one based on patronage and clientelism and more likely to experience election violence. Saying as a post dictatorship society and a fractured nation in transition, formal political institutions are superseded by informal relationships based on the exchange of resource and political loyalty; political supporters seem willing to perpetrate election violence in support of their preferred candidates.
He therefore urged Gambians to maintain peace and stability before, during and after election, noting election will come and go but the people are here to stay.
