International Day of Peace 2026: Community-led action for peace in Ethiopia

Building peace before violence happens

Through the Humanitarian Development Peace Nexus (HDPN) Programme, funded by SIDA and the Embassy of Norway in Ethiopia, DRC supported the establishment of inclusive peacebuilding committees in Asangola, bringing together elders, women, youth and representatives from different community groups. Committee members were trained in conflict analysis, mediation, negotiation, and early warning, strengthening existing community mechanisms and providing local actors additional skills and tools to identify and address tensions before they escalate.  

The approach builds on systems that communities already trust and know. The committees use Mada’a, the customary law of the Afar community, alongside Dagu, the traditional information-sharing system. By combining these existing systems with new skills and inclusive local leadership, community members can respond while tensions are still manageable rather than waiting until violence occurs.  

“Previously, we intervened only after conflicts became serious. Now, we act early, when tensions are still manageable and solutions can be found peacefully.” 

In Asangola, the committee has mediated seven local conflicts and facilitated community-wide dialogues to address underlying tensions, build awareness and strengthen relationships between different groups. Its work has also helped build trust, with residents increasingly turning to the committee when disputes arise and neighbouring communities requesting its mediation support. By involving women and young people alongside elders and other community representatives, peacebuilding is becoming a shared responsibility. 

In October 2025, during the farming season, cattle belonging to herders from a village in the region, entered another border village and damaged a farmer’s crops. Tensions quickly escalated and led to injuries. In the past, similar incidents had sometimes led to retaliation and loss of life, particularly when disputes involved different ethnic groups. This time, however, the situation was addressed before it could escalate into wider violence. 

Information about the incident reached the Peacebuilding Committee through Dagu, the traditional Afar information-sharing system. The committee responded immediately. Members assessed the crop damage, ensured that the injured received medical treatment and used Mada’a, the customary Afar system of conflict resolution, to guide the process. The two involved families were brought together to resolve the dispute and agreed on concrete solutions. The dispute ended without retaliation or wider ethnic conflict. 

What can we learn from Asangola? 

As the experience in Asangola shows, peacebuilding does not always begin with a formal peace agreement. It begins with communities having the mechanisms, spaces, relationships, and trust to act early. It shows the value of combining local knowledge with new skills. By strengthening mechanisms that communities already understand and trust, local actors can respond to tensions before they become violent. 

Peacebuilding is therefore not only about responding after violence has occurred. It is also about creating conditions that make violence less likely in the first place. 

For DRC, this means supporting local mediation, dialogue, early warning, social cohesion and the meaningful participation of women and young people. 

As we mark the International Day of Peace, the experience of Asangola reminds us that lasting peace starts with people, communities and local action. As communities face growing impacts from climate change and El Niño in 2026-27 expected to further strain livelihoods, investing in peacebuilding is vital to prevent conflict escalation and safeguard development gains.