In one night, the NSGA burned down a mosque and 50 houses, destroyed multiple korans, slaughtered livestock, attacked the community leader, and destroyed an incalculable amount of property before authorities were alerted and the targeted community was evacuated.

Over the next few months, however, the tensions only heighted. Another Muslim leader’s famiy was attacked and the intertribal war heightened. Two months later, some Muslim youths retaliated by taking up arms against the natives, resulting in the death of 10 people, the destruction of 50 houses, and 25 persons being wounded and hopsital. Within a short time, a precarious and new ethnic war had erupted between the natives and the Fulani-Mbororo minorities.

 The fear of the situation degenerating further motivated our team to take the riskiest journey to this wartorn zone. Our team consisted of three: Ceo MME Dighambong Bibian, Assistant Ceo Fung Mua Donatus, and Gender/Communication/Logistic Expert: Njuh Marie Goreti. Our goal was to bring emergency humanitarian relief to the victims, host a fact finding mission, and put an end to the escalating human casualties through peaceful talks using a grassroots model of peacebuilding.

 We hosted many activities, including an inter-community dialogue, a training of youth ambassadors ( in which BIHAPH trained and graduated students in responsible citizenship leadership, community mobilization toward lasting peace), and economic sustainability programs. We used our model of  building peace at grassroots, local, and communal levels because at BIHAPH we believe that engaging in peacebuilding requires having a sense of the community.

The communities BIHAPH works with have experienced the worst dehumanization imaginable with relative impunity for the violent actors. The terror, wounds, and tragedies are hard to heal and even harder to forget. However, we fight to put our vision of peace into reality and dream of a world were no woman, girl or child lives in poverty, fear, hate or oppression; where all have access to a decent standard of living and the opportunities and choices essential to a long, healthy and creative life; a world where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

 We embrace for a healthy and harmonious community and always remember:

IT TAKES A FEW TO MAKE WARS , BUT IT TAKES A VILLAGE, COMMUNITY AND NATION TO BUILD PEACE!!!