© Pacifique Akilimali/Maryam Abu Hassan – Democratic Republic of Congo poet Pacifique Akilimali and Nigerian peace activist and poet Maryam Abu Hassan.
New York, USA, March 21, 2023-/African Media Agency(AMA)/“Across identities and differences… across countries and continents… it is not difficult to choose peace.” These lines are from a new poem created to mark the 75th birthday of UN peacekeeping operations.
Entitled “Peace Begins With Me,” the poem pays homage to the strength and resilience of communities affected by conflict, as well as those who help them rebuild their lives and livelihoods. It is a reminder of our responsibility to promote peace in our communities, countries and around the world – a belief that has driven more than two million men and women to serve in more than 70 peace operations since 1948.
“Peace means everything to me,” says Pacifique Akilimali, who wrote the poem with Nigerian peace activist and poet Maryam Abu Hassan. “All I’ve known since birth is war…peace has been a dream for a long time.”
Pacifique, who works on the aviation team of the Stabilization mission of the UN organization in the DRC (MONUSCO), grew up in North Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a region ravaged by decades of violence between armed groups.
“All the wars and conflicts have gotten us nowhere,” adds Maryam, a native of northern Nigeria Borno state where ruthless insurgency and violent extremism have plagued people for over a decade.
It was in this state nine years ago that nearly 300 schoolgirls, also known as the Chibok girls, were kidnapped by the armed separatists, Boko Haram. Today, many of them are still missing.
For Maryam, “peace is not only the absence of conflict, but also the presence of justice, equality and respect for human dignity. Everyone deserves to have and find peace.”
Raised in Goma, North Kivu
“Growing up in North Kivu in the DRC was not easy at all,” says Pacifique.
In 1994, the year he was born, the genocide in Rwanda erupted DRC into one of the deadliest conflicts in African history. According to the International Rescue Committee, from 1998 to 2007, an estimated 5.4 million people died as a result of the conflict in the DRC.
“In 1997 I was a refugee with my whole family. My father and I were captured by a group of rebels and my father was about to be shot because an army thought he belonged to a different ethnic group,” said Pacifique, adding that his father narrowly escaped death when one of the rebel leaders recognized him. him and let them go.
“I remember when the UN mission came to my country and my father told me that these people are coming to bring us peace.”
In 1999, the UN Security Council stated the UN mission in the DRC (MONUC) to oversee the Lusaka ceasefire agreement between the DRC and neighboring countries Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
More than ten years later, the Council created MONUSCO as an extension of MONUC, broadening the new the scope of the mission to protect civilians, facilitate access for humanitarian aid and help former combatants disarm and reintegrate into society as the armed conflict continued, particularly in the east.
Speaking of the fortitude of communities in North Kivu that have seen so much violence and suffering, Pacifique says, “The city of Goma is still alive. When you come to this city, you will wonder how these people can be happy, sing, dance, love and hope in such living conditions. We all hope for peace here and we pray for it.”
Finding ways to thrive in Borno State
Maryam is equally inspired by the strength of the people of Borno State, which has been an epicenter of violent extremism and terrorism in Nigeria and the Sahel region for more than a decade.
Armed conflict fueled by groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province has led to the displacement of an estimated 2 million people today, many of them women and children, who are still unable to return home due to unpredictable attacks on civilians.
“Borno is widely regarded as an area ravaged by conflict, violence and insurgency,” says Maryam. “What is also true is that there is so much more to us than this singular story.”
Borno is a culturally rich and diverse state, with a vibrant history and traditions passed down from generation to generation. Despite everything we’ve been through, we’ve found ways to thrive.”
75 years of peacekeeping
Over the past 75 years, UN peacekeeping, a critical global tool for maintaining peace, security and stability, has evolved to adapt to the changing political landscape and nature of conflict.
What started as a mission to observe an armistice in Palestine in 1948 is now a complex operation of military, police and civilians working together to support communities and countries in the transition from war to peace.
Borno State and eastern DRC are two of many places where chronic violence has taken place that has turned into complicated conflicts spearheaded by multiple armed groups, with mostly civilians bearing the brunt of the devastation and destruction.
Almost today 90 percent of war victims worldwide are civilians, says UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Together with local communities, peacekeepers today strive to protect civilians, disarm combatants, support political and electoral processes, strengthen human rights and the rule of law, and promote sustainable peace and development.
Called “blue helmets,” they wear many different hats, including as engineers, administrators, legal experts, economists, and election observers, to help people rebuild and rebuild their lives, institutions, and societies.
Observed under the theme of “Peace Begins With Me,” the 75th anniversary celebrates the world’s peacemakers – from peacekeepers, local community leaders to activists – who are the everyday champions of peace.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of UN NEWS.
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Source: African Media Agency (AMA)
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