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Changing the Narrative: Why West African Media Is Embracing Peace Journalism

By
Mohammed Ibrahim
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Ahmed Maiyaki of MD KSMC, photo via KSMC.

In a media landscape often dominated by sensationalism and conflict-driven content, a quiet revolution is taking place. Across West Africa, radio stations are tuning into peace. These media houses are shifting their focus to peace journalism, using their platforms to promote dialogue, resolve conflicts, and build resilient communities.

At the forefront of this movement is Radio Peace, a community radio station located in the Central Region of Ghana. Co-initiator and Station Manager David Kwesi Ghartey-Tagoe explained that the station was born out of a desire to uplift marginalized voices in the region.

Radio Peace 88.9 FM, photo via Radio Peace.

“The Central Region, once the seat of government and the cradle of education, ironically became one of the most deprived. We named the station ‘Peace’ because peace is a prerequisite for development,” he told Peace News Network (PNN).

When Radio Peace began operations in 1999, the region was grappling with numerous family and chieftaincy disputes. While not violent, these conflicts had the potential to escalate. The station responded by adopting participatory strategies like Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools to include community voices in its programming. 

Ghartey-Tagoe said that rather than rushing to break news, the station takes time to ensure that every side is heard, which he noted was necessary for accuracy and fairness. In 26 years, he said, the station had never been sued. 

Radio Peace 88.9 FM Ghana, Co-initiator and Station Manager David Kwesi Ghartey-Tagoe, photo via Radio Peace.

One example of the station’s impact was in Effutu, a community plagued by annual chieftaincy disputes during its Deer Hunt Festival. “The Chief was often barred from attending the festival by rival factions. Police presence became routine. Through participatory programming and giving voice to all sides, the situation has calmed. The Chief now attends without incident,” he said.

Despite challenges in maintaining audience engagement, Radio Peace strikes a balance between entertainment and education. Ghartey-Tagoe added that the station does not believe it is in competition with anyone but itself, and that it sets its own goals and involves the community as much as possible.  

This model is resonating beyond Ghana. Peter Nsoesie, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of DASH TV in Douala, Cameroon, is designing a peace journalism module for his station.

“Peace is essential because unresolved issues over land, family, and resources can spiral into crises. Back in 2007, a community radio [station] called Voice of Manyu helped resolve several land disputes in Mamfe through peace journalism,” Nsoesie shared. He emphasized that radio remains the most trusted medium in communities, even in the era of social media.

The Nigerian perspective echoes the same commitment. Ahmed Maiyaki, Managing Director of Kaduna State Media Corporation (KSMC) located in North Western Nigeria, said broadcast stations have continued to focus on peace building content as a result of the wide impact and reach it drives on targeted audience, especially radio. 

KSMC Head office located within the Kaduna metropolis, photo via KSMC.

He explained that Radio stations play a critical role in building and promoting peace among diverse communities across the West Africa region.  “It gives a platform for community and citizens’ engagement initiatives and advocacy with wide and indisputable reach to all segments of society,” he said. 

Maiyaki shared a recent example where his station played a role in de-escalating tension and reprisal after some travellers were killed by local militias in Plateau State in North Central Nigeria on June 12. “The special program was designed to douse tension and mitigate possible escalation of the conflict,” he said.

He said that KSMC has continued to initiate robust and citizen-centered content that builds and promotes peace and social cohesion in Kaduna State and beyond. KSMC does this, he said, by reaching five radio stations across the state, producing and broadcasting content in local languages for the state’s diverse people. 

Photo via KSMC.

From Ghana, a presenter with Nananom FM 92.5, Mohammed Umar Al-Hussein highlighted how the station’s morning show ‘Maakye Show’ includes segments dedicated to promoting peace and discouraging youth involvement in drugs.

“The world has seen enough of the disasters brought by conflict. Peace journalism fosters relationships, national growth, and human rights. Its impact is real. Our listeners now understand the value of peace and seek to avoid conflict,” Al-Hussein said.

Aisha Gambo, a solutions journalism expert with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), supports this paradigm shift. “People are tired of hearing bad news with no solutions. Peace and solutions journalism are changing that narrative. They report on responses to social issues so that other communities can learn and adapt,” she explained.

While she hasn’t yet published a story that directly de-escalated tension, Gambo ensures her reporting never incites violence or hatred. She noted that after years of covering crime and corruption “with minimal change,” peace or solutions journalism may possibly be able to deliver “the transformation we seek.”

Ibrahima Yakubu, Team Lead for the Network of Peace Journalists (NPJ) Nigeria, believes the entire continent is gradually embracing this approach because of its measurable impact.

“Peace journalism is reshaping Africa. In Nigeria, it is helping eliminate fake news and reduce division,” he said. “For example, in 2016, when a state governor falsely accused a religious sect of terrorism, it was peace journalists who investigated and cleared the air. The community now lives peacefully.”

Yakubu also cited an incident in Southern Kaduna, where panic spread following reports of Fulani ‘terrorists’ migrating into the area. Peace journalists investigated and revealed the truth that the migrants were not terrorists. Their reporting restored calm to the community. “Peace journalism reduces tension by sticking to facts, not social media speculation. That’s how we stop chaos before it begins,” Yakubu emphasized.

Factors contributing to the trend

Factors contributing to the trend of media embracing peace journalism in West African countries include the desire to promote peaceful conflict resolution, a focus on community building and social harmony, and efforts to address hate speech and misinformation.

Other factors include promoting positive narratives and facilitating understanding among warring communities in these countries.

A Difficult But Growing Movement

Several challenges remain in implementing peace journalism in West Africa. The interviewees agreed that there is a lack of awareness and training on peace journalism practices among the majority of practitioners in the region.

Insecurity is another challenge. Many journalists promoting peace journalism face intimidation and harassment in some hostile communities. Poor working conditions also hinder journalists from practicing peace journalism, as it requires resources to move around and gather information for reports.

Religious and regional divisions pose another major challenge, as some journalists tend to write in ways that protect their religion or ethnicity.

Still, as conflict and misinformation continue to pose challenges, peace journalism offers a hopeful path forward one that turns up the volume on truth, understanding, and unity. “So the increase in media going for peace stories means the future of Africa is bright,” said Al-Hussein of Nananom FM.

Keywords: West Africa, Nigeria, radio, peace journalism, journalism, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, Ghana, Cameroon

Why Is It So Hard for Peace Operations to Exit Well? Lessons from UNAMID in Sudan

By
Silvia Danielak
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UNAMID hands over Masteri team site to Government of Sudan on November 7, 2018, photo via UNAMID on Flikr.

Between 2019 and 2021, peacekeepers in Darfur, Sudan closed most of their mission’s camps, handing over the sites and infrastructure built on them to local governments and partners. It was not to last. Within days of the handover ceremonies, looters ransacked most of the camps, stripping them of furniture and equipment, and torching what remained. Little was left of the compounds that could have benefited the local government and the population of Darfur. How could, despite years of planning, the well-intended handover go so wrong?

After the fourth anniversary of the completed withdrawal of mission staff from United Nations–African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) on June 30, and as more peacekeeping missions are likely close in the near future, it is timely to delve into the infrastructural, material dimension of peace operations’ transition and examine the efforts preceding the handing over of infrastructure to local communities. 

For those following current events in Sudan, the situation presents itself as a déjà vu. Since 2023, Sudan has been swept into a fierce civil war and a sprawling humanitarian crisis, following a series of coups that have shaken the nation post-UNAMID. Looking back, the mission’s bungled transition seems to have added to instability rather than peace. But let’s take it one step at a time.

UNAMID hands over Korma team site to Government of Sudan on November 17, 2018, photo via UNAMID Flikr.

Three insights from reviewing the planning for the closure of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID, 2007-2020) highlight both the ambitions and failures inherent in such endeavors.

An Ambitious Mission with a Large Footprint

Back in 2007, UNAMID was established in response to the dire humanitarian crisis in Sudan, marked by violent conflict and mass displacement. UNAMID’s mission was ambitious, aiming to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian aid, and support peacebuilding efforts in a region fraught with political turmoil.

Over its 13-year tenure, UNAMID built substantial infrastructure to support its operations, including roads, airfields, and communication networks. It also built a series of camps across Darfur, including several supercamps—large-scale structures for hundreds of personnel, to be imagined like a large campus or contained town. This structure served the mission well. Yet, as the mission drew to a close, the challenge became how to sustainably transition this infrastructure to local control.

A Too-Narrow Understanding of Transition in a Militarized Landscape

For several years, the UN has been working on improving its model of “transitions”—the withdrawal of peacekeepers and the handover of responsibility to local entities. Its approach has thus far been focused on the institutional and governance aspects, thereby neglecting the infrastructural, material, and spatial dimension of closure. Leaving this to engineers and logistics operations experts overlooks the politics of such a task, including the socio-political and environmental contexts of Darfur. What is more, the failure to engage local stakeholders meaningfully in the planning process resulted in missed opportunities for sustainable development and peace.

Over the last decades, United Nations peace operations have become significantly bigger and more militarized. In consequence, civilian spaces adjacent to peacekeeping camps have witnessed a militarization, too. Peace operations, in other words, will leave behind a militarized landscape. UNAMID’s presence in Darfur, with its fortified camps and security infrastructure, inadvertently reinforced militarization that does not go away with a mission. It is part of a mission’s legacy. As communities struggle to reclaim and repurpose spaces for civilian use, planners in missions have to recognize and thwart the long-term socio-spatial consequences of their interventions.

A Planning Failure in Process, Not Only Outcome

Urban and regional planning theory suggests that “planning failure” can refer to both outcome and process. Indeed, when looking at the results of UNAMID’s planning of its closure, the looting and loss, “failure” is undeniable in light of the envisioned legacy. What, however, does a glimpse at the process reveal? 

Perhaps unsurprising, one of the key insights is the disconnect between international planning frameworks and local realities. UNAMID had planned and prolonged its closure for years. It designed strategies and plans to hand back responsibility for peace and security to the Sudanese government. This process was exemplary top-down planning, driven by international and national-level agendas, neglecting—if not clashing with—the need for bottom-up engagement in both the planning process and physical infrastructure sites.

Embracing Socio-Spatial Community Planning

Despite the challenges, there is hope in alternative socio-spatial planning approaches that prioritize local engagement and sustainability. By shifting the focus from international frameworks to local contexts, peace operations can better align their efforts with the needs and aspirations of the communities they serve, beyond the mission’s end date.

Genuine local ownership of infrastructure, integrating socio-spatial considerations into planning processes from the outset, and embracing participatory approaches that empower local stakeholders are just some of the pathways for improving transition planning and counteracting the militarized futures that communities might otherwise be left with. Fundamentally, planners and policymakers should revisit the UN’s approach to transition and handover. Foregrounding the socio-spatial impacts of peace operations and advocating for more inclusive spatial planning processes is required for peace operations to meet the complex challenges of post-conflict environments.

Keywords: Sudan, Darfur, UNAMID, United Nations, UN, peace operations, peacekeeping, conflict, conflict resolution, peace, UNAMID withdrawal

Mental Health Support for Goma’s War Victims Needed for Peace in DRC

By
Anicet Kimonyo
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Portrait of Eugène Bashombe, Master of psychopathology and psychologist at the Saint Vicent de Paul Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Goma, North Kivu Province, DRC, on June 8, 2025. Photo by Anicet Kimonyo.

In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), armed violence leaves more than just visible ruins; it also devastates minds. In Goma, the war has plunged a portion of the population into increasing psychological distress, often without adequate support. This has created difficult conditions to build peace.

Since the end of January 2025, the city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, has been under the control of M23 rebels. This takeover occurred following violent clashes with the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) in the heart of the urban area. According to the United Nations (UN), the fighting caused the death of over 3,000 people and left thousands injured in Goma. As M23 continued to advance through eastern DRC, hundreds of thousands were displaced and a total of around 7,000 people were killed in the region in early 2025.

Beyond human losses and material destruction, this war has left deep psychological scars. “My daughter was fine before the war,” Noëlla Manegabe, a mother, told Peace News Network (PNN). “After the fighting, she no longer understood simple instructions.  When asked for a jerrycan, she would bring back a saucepan. I thought it was just a headache until doctors directed me to a mental health center.”

Nsimire Muderwa Merveille, 13 years old, affected by mental health issues, in the courtyard of the Saint Vincent de Paul Neuropsychiatric Center in Goma, North Kivu Province, DRC, on May 8, 2025. Photo by Anicet Kimonyo.

Since March, the Saint Vincent de Paul Psychiatric Center, located in Goma, has seen its number of consultations triple. Eugène Bashombe, a psychologist at the facility, said that over 700 new patients were admitted in a few weeks. “They suffer from post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety disorders. The war has exacerbated an already concerning situation,” Bashombe said.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has experienced recurrent armed conflicts for over three decades, particularly in the North and South Kivu provinces. These conflicts began with the assassination of Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana and the subsequent Rwandan genocide in 1994. The crisis spilled into DRC, which at the time was called Zaire, leading to the theft of land and natural resources and identity conflicts, in addition to problems related to poor governance. The 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Dr. Denis Mukwege mentions a human toll of over six million deaths. But added to this figure is a collective trauma difficult to quantify.

According to Bashombe and another two experts PNN spoke with, the recent wave of violence, marked by the takeover of Goma and Bukavu between January and February 2025, has plunged thousands of people into psychological distress. This reality is often ignored by authorities in a country where mental health infrastructure is nearly non-existent and where access to care remains out of reach for the majority of the population. Nathalie Chibanguka, a clinical psychologist in Goma, said, “Psychological suffering is still taboo, and specialized structures are sorely lacking.” Chibanguka added that, “This hinders individual reconstruction and compromises the long-term development of communities.”

This, she said, is because untreated individuals constitute additional economic burdens for their families and the Congolese state, since they are unable to pay taxes because they don’t work. The crime rate is also becoming increasingly high, she noted.

Chibanguka said that there is a significant insufficiency not only in the resources allocated to mental health facilities, but also a lack of qualified personnel. This lack of resources, she said, leads to a shortage of well-equipped hospitals specializing in mental health in urban areas, which are unfortunately totally non-existent in rural areas, but nevertheless largely affected by conflicts. Chibanguka believes that untreated individuals keep their wounds invisible, and these active wounds within them constitute a ticking time bomb in society.

View of the Saint Vincent de Paul Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Goma, North Kivu Province, eastern DRC, on June 8, 2025. Photo by Anicet Kimonyo.

In this context, a few structures like the Saint Vincent de Paul center are trying to fill the gap with limited resources. The absence of clear public policies on mental health, combined with poverty and persistent insecurity, leaves many victims without support. Jean-Pierre Akilimali Muzinge, professor and researcher of psychology at the University of Goma, emphasized the extent of the problem. “Armed conflicts in eastern DRC have created a climate of chronic fear. Mental health is the great forgotten aspect of this crisis, yet it is essential for any sustainable reconstruction,” he said.

For mental health professionals, the reconstruction of the region cannot be limited to only criminal justice. They advocate for a genuine policy of psychological reparations. “Sustainable peace cannot exist without healing from trauma,” insists Chibanguka. “It is necessary to organize regular psychosocial support sessions, especially for war victims. This is an essential condition for truly sustainable development.”

Keywords: DRC, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Goma, war, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, mental health

This Week in Peace #88: June 27

By
Tara Abhasakun
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Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus, photo via Wikipedia. Recently, another church in Damascus, Mar Elias Church, was attacked, threatening peace in the country.

This week, Israel and Iran reach a ceasefire. WHO speaks out against attack on hospital in Sudan. Violence against Christians threatens possibility of peace in Syria. DRC and Rwanda to sign peace deal hosted by Trump.

Israel and Iran Reach a Ceasefire

Israel and Iran managed to reach a ceasefire following 12 days of conflict over Iran’s nuclear facilities. The ceasefire agreement began to develop on June 22, after the US military struck and damaged Iran’s nuclear sites. US President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he should not expect further US military offensive action, and that it was time to return to diplomatic negotiation with Iran, The Associated Press reported.

Meanwhile, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to return to negotiations because Iran had seen what the US military was capable of, and that it could do much more. Less than two days later, Trump announced on social media that a “Complete and Total CEASEFIRE” had been achieved. Israeli and Iranian leaders, however, were slower to confirm their commitment to the ceasefire, and both sides accused each other of violating it. Nevertheless, the ceasefire now appears to be holding, and Trump said that US and Iranian officials would talk next week.

The conflict between Israel and Iran has killed at least 974 people and wounded 3,458 others in Iran, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. Meanwhile, the conflict killed 28 people and injured over 3,000 people in Israel, according to Israeli medical officials.

WHO Speaks Out Against Attack on Hospital in Sudan

The World Health Organization (WHO) is speaking out against a strike on a hospital in Sudan’s West Kordofan state on June 22. The attack on Al-Mujlad Hospital killed 40 people, including six children and five healthcare workers. Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—which has been determined by the US to have committed a genocide—as well as two civil society groups blamed the Sudanese army for the attack. The Sudanese army has not yet commented on the accusation.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on June 24 posted on X, “Another appalling attack on health in #Sudan, this one in the Al Mujlad Hospital in West Kordofan, causing over 40 civilian deaths, including of children and health workers, and dozens of injuries. We cannot say this louder: attacks on health must stop everywhere! #NotATarget.”

Violence Against Christians Threatens Possibility of Peace in Syria

Recent violence against Christians in Syria threatens the possibility of peace in the country. The attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus in Damascus on June 22, which was claimed by a group called Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, killed 25 people and injured 63. 

Christian leaders in the region have said the attack aimed to impact Syrian society as a whole. The head of the Beirut office of Germany’s Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Michael Bauer, told DW “The latest attack, as terrible as it is, is therefore not directed solely against Christians, but against the social fabric of the entire country as well as the transition process.” Meanwhile, Syrian government officials said the attack was meant to foil their work to establish a state after the fall of dictator Bashar Al-Assad in December 2024.

After the fall of Assad, a new president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, came to power in Syria, promising to enforce minority rights and build an inclusive country. However, attacks such as this have left doubts in the minds of many religious minorities, with some minorities even seeking to leave the country.

DRC and Rwanda to Sign Peace Deal Hosted By Trump

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda plan to sign a peace deal in Washington hosted by US President Donald Trump on June 27. This development comes after the two countries last week agreed to a draft peace deal. 

The conflict between DRC and Rwanda reignited violently earlier this year when the M23 rebel group, allegedly backed by between 3,000 and 12,000 Rwandan soldiers, captured strategic cities including Goma and Bukavu in January and February 2025. These gains compounded a humanitarian emergency across eastern DRC, where hundreds of thousands were displaced and around 7,000 people were killed in early 2025. To read Peace News Network (PNN)’s full article on the context leading to the upcoming deal, click here.

Keywords: Israel, Iran, Sudan, Syria, DRC, Congo, Rwanda, Democratic of Republic of the Congo, conflict, conflict resolution, peace

At a Workshop in Hiroshima, Japanese, Korean, and US Youth Harness Tech to Heal Historical Wounds

By
Peace News Staff
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The Hiroshima skyline, photo via Wikipedia.

Japan, South Korea, and the United States are all countries that carry painful memories of conflict. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, killing over 2,400 Americans, and the United States’s 1945 nuclear bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed an estimated 135,000 people in Hiroshima, and an estimated 64,000 in Nagasaki. Meanwhile, Japan forcibly ruled Korea from 1910 to 1945.

But today, young leaders from these countries are coming together to use technology to build peace. Japanese, South Korean, and American young leaders gathered in May for a workshop session focused on how new technologies can build peace. The event – part of the U.S. State Department–sponsored Young Trilateral Leaders series – brought 26 participants to the Hiroshima Bunka Koryu Kaikan. The workshop aimed to help the young leaders further their understanding of conflict resolution, inter-group reconciliation, and international relations from historical and cultural perspectives, George Mason University reported.

The opening ceremony began with remarks from Dean Alpaslan Özerdem of GMU’s Carter School, who discussed the workshop’s mission to empower youth with tech tools for peace. Remarks were also given by Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, US Consul General for Osaka/Kobe Jason Cubas, and Republic of Korea Consul General Hojeung Kang. The young leaders worked in four multinational teams on plans addressing issues like AI, the challenges of misinformation and disinformation, cybersecurity, the transformative power of peace-oriented technology, and technological platforms for social reconciliation activities between Japan and Korea. 

“We believe that empowering young people with the tools and skills of peacebuilding – especially through the innovative use of technology – unlocks tremendous potential for transformative change across societies,” Dean Özerdem said. He noted that holding the workshop in Hiroshima was especially meaningful. “Hiroshima, a city whose history powerfully reminds us of the critical need for peace and reconciliation,” he said. Özerdem added that the workshop was intended to build lasting partnerships with local peacebuilders. 

The workshop series included four phases, with the Hiroshima session being the third phase. Phase one involved four weeks of online pre-learning. The second phase featured the first in-person workshop, held in Incheon, South Korea. The fourth phase was an online evaluation. 

Last year, Peace News Network (PNN) wrote about another peace initiative related to Hiroshima. A Japanese organization consisting of survivors of the 1945 nuclear bombs that the US dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize on October 11. The group, Nihon Hindakyo, which was founded in 1956, sends survivors across the globe to share their stories about the suffering and damage caused by nuclear weapons.  

The group says on its website that it has member organizations in all 47 Japanese prefectures, representing almost all survivors of the bombs, known as Hibakusha. It notes that tens of thousands of Hibakusha live in Japan, while thousands more live abroad. The group’s goals, it says, are preventing nuclear war and eliminating nuclear weapons, securing state compensation for atomic bomb damages, and improving policies and measures on the protection and assistance of the Hibakusha. To read the full article, click here.

Keywords: Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Japan, United States, US, Korea, South Korea, tech, tech for peace, techonology, conflict, conflict resolution, reconciliation

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