Conflict Resolution Through Dialogue and Reconciliation

Patricia Connyino, Budget & Financial Management Services, UN Offices in Nairobi, Kenya

Conflict in the world is not anything new as we all have different views and opinions and we are bound to disagree once in a while. However, as seen in the joke above, conflicts can sometimes be blown out of proportion due to various factors, for example in instances where perceived disagreements tend to be out of phase with the subject of the disagreement, and in such cases conflicts can be exaggerated by significant levels of misunderstandings.

Furthermore, on many occasions actors who are seen as important for the social system (for example the church, family, politicians) participate in disputes and their involvement can either solve the conflicts or make the situation worse. There are many instances around the world where politicians aggravate conflicts in order to further their causes.

In other instances conflicts may arise from perceived threats. People respond to a perceived threat rather than the true threat facing them. While perception doesn't become reality per se, people's behaviours and ongoing responses become modified by the evolving sense of the threat they confront. In cases of conflicts between different communities or tribes, one community could attack another simply on the unfounded assumption that the other will attack first.

It is of great importance to consider all these factors when dealing with conflict resolution. Such underlying causes of conflicts can be resolved through extensive dialogue between the conflicting parties. It is very unfortunate that dialogue is a conflict resolution tool that remains under-used; many countries claim to be proponents of dialogue without actually following it up. Righteous opinions are expressed and promises are made, largely diffused by the media, but only rarely acted upon.

In December 2007 Kenya faced the worst post election violence in its history; many people lost their lives and many more were displaced from their homes. The violence resulted in a lot of mistrust and animosity between the communities involved. Although the violence came to an end after the intervention of His Excellency Koffi Annan, the underlying issues are yet to be properly resolved. Forgiveness is constantly being preached from all corners of the country but the people who were most affected have not yet been given the opportunity to express themselves. The resulting situation is a false air of calm which could explode at any time and lead to an even greater upheaval.

This is a classic case where, if dialogue and reconciliation are not given priority, there could be recurrent violence. In the cultural contexts of Western countries such as Canada and the United States successful conflict resolution usually involves fostering communication among belligerents and drafting agreements that meet their underlying needs. In these situations, conflict resolvers often talk about finding the “win-win” solution and trying to bring the conflicting parties together to sort out issues in a manner agreed to by all.

In many non-Western cultural contexts, such as in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, it is also important to find “win-win” solutions; however getting there can sometimes be very different because of the lack of dialogue. In these contexts, direct communication between disputants that explicitly addresses the issues at stake is non existent, making the conflict worse and delaying resolutions.
Bruce Kent, a British political activist, said “One day it is going to dawn on the human race that war is as barbaric a means of resolving conflicts as cannibalism is a means of coping with diet deficiencies.” The world should not wait for the day when war rules our behaviour; instead we should all play our part in encouraging dialogue and reconciliation between conflicting parties, work to understand the true threats and develop strategies that help to solve conflicts before they develop into full blown war.




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