Waging Peace in Nicaragua.
In the 1980s, a small group of pastors decided to work toward ending the civil war engulfing their country. Since that time, the work of these peace commissions has adapted as the needs of their local communities changes. This includes providing reintegration services for ex-combatants in the post-war period and their current work of resolving conflicts and responding to crime. The remaining peace commissioners are now looking to restorative justice theory to inform their work. Tracey King, a student in the Conflict Transformation Programme at Eastern Mennonite University, provides an overview of the work undertaken by the peace commissions since their inception.
The call to work for peace in Nicaragua today may not be as loud and clear
as it was over two decades ago when the country was in the midst of civil
war, but the peace commissioners in the region of Nueva Guinea in
southeastern Nicaragua remain committed to that call. The nature of
their work has shifted over the years from negotiating between warring
parties to post-war activities of disarmament and reintegration of
communities to their current reality of a shattered economy, grinding
poverty and the rising levels of crime and conflict that result. As
the peace commissions adapt their methods to meet these new challenges,
restorative justice has much to offer.
In the mid-80s, with a commitment to halting the war, a small group of pastors in rural southeastern Nicaragua began waging peace. With both moral and legal backing from the Nicaraguan Council of Protestant Churches, known as CEPAD for its Spanish acronym, they began with a specific task of documenting and reporting human rights violations. Their work steadily grew during the war from successfully releasing hundreds of people illegally jailed or recruited into the military to include many trips into the mountains to meet with both Contra and Sandinista leaders trying to convince them to move their fighting away from populated areas and urging them to enter into dialogue. As war came to an end, the peace commissions were lauded with having “played a major role in reducing violence and disarming the Southern Front of the Contras by serving as a channel for communication between the Contras and the Sandinista government.”[1]
Many thought the work of the peace commissions would come to an end with the end of the war, but in the post-war era, the work of these local leaders was more necessary than ever. Their moral force put pressure on groups on all sides to stop human rights violations. Their mediation work also continued. They now negotiated not just with the government but also the newly formed re-armed forces of both Contra and Sandinista army ex-combatants, commonly referred to as Recontra and Recompa forces respectively.[2] Disarmament efforts that urged these irregular troops to lay down their weapons and talk with government officials, was essential. In the Nueva Guinea region, the peace commissions could play an important role in the process because they had earned the respect of all sides. In addition to disarming troops, the difficult work of reconciliation became necessary during this phase of their work. This involved helping to facilitate the reintegration of demobilized combatants into their respective communities as part of the post war reconstruction. Providing “pastoral support through listening to and comforting the victims of violence” was also an integral part of this phase.[3]
Today, the peace commissions face a different set of challenges. They mediate conflicts between neighbors, domestic disputes, contested inheritances and other arguments that arise in the communities where they live. Filling the void of police and other local authorities, they also “investigate crimes, taking proposed settlements in writing to an overworked judge in Nueva Guinea who stamps the papers, making the commission’s decision legally binding.”[4] The peace commissions continue to be vital components of the communities where they are present, constantly being called upon when conflicts arise.
As the peace commissions are now working to strengthen civil society in an extended period of social reconstruction, they are slowly beginning to reframe their work in peacebuilding to include restorative justice principles. Being focused on needs and putting things right, restorative justice allows for a better understanding of the needs of both victims and offenders that are created by wrong-doing and then finding ways to address those needs. When dealing with conflict, a restorative justice framework provides a focus on justice that can offer a more holistic approach than mediation alone. In that way, restorative justice is also about mending relationships, building community, developing local capacity and solidifying peace at the grass-roots level.
With the war a distant but vivid memory, the call to work for peace may not be as loud and clear, but thankfully the commitment to follow that call remains with nearly a hundred peace commissioners still working in their communities in Nueva Guinea today. In a recent workshop with thirty of them, restorative justice was understood as a tool to allow them to actively dream the possibilities their continuing work can bring.
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[1] Kauffman,Craig. "Reflecting on Nicaragua." ICAR Newsletter. Fall 1994. V. 6, No. 2. Pp. 9-10. http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/example/kauf6319.htm
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Jeffrey, Paul. “Risky Business”. Christian Century. October 8, 1997, Vol. 114 Issue 27, p860, 3p
May 2005
In the mid-80s, with a commitment to halting the war, a small group of pastors in rural southeastern Nicaragua began waging peace. With both moral and legal backing from the Nicaraguan Council of Protestant Churches, known as CEPAD for its Spanish acronym, they began with a specific task of documenting and reporting human rights violations. Their work steadily grew during the war from successfully releasing hundreds of people illegally jailed or recruited into the military to include many trips into the mountains to meet with both Contra and Sandinista leaders trying to convince them to move their fighting away from populated areas and urging them to enter into dialogue. As war came to an end, the peace commissions were lauded with having “played a major role in reducing violence and disarming the Southern Front of the Contras by serving as a channel for communication between the Contras and the Sandinista government.”[1]
Many thought the work of the peace commissions would come to an end with the end of the war, but in the post-war era, the work of these local leaders was more necessary than ever. Their moral force put pressure on groups on all sides to stop human rights violations. Their mediation work also continued. They now negotiated not just with the government but also the newly formed re-armed forces of both Contra and Sandinista army ex-combatants, commonly referred to as Recontra and Recompa forces respectively.[2] Disarmament efforts that urged these irregular troops to lay down their weapons and talk with government officials, was essential. In the Nueva Guinea region, the peace commissions could play an important role in the process because they had earned the respect of all sides. In addition to disarming troops, the difficult work of reconciliation became necessary during this phase of their work. This involved helping to facilitate the reintegration of demobilized combatants into their respective communities as part of the post war reconstruction. Providing “pastoral support through listening to and comforting the victims of violence” was also an integral part of this phase.[3]
Today, the peace commissions face a different set of challenges. They mediate conflicts between neighbors, domestic disputes, contested inheritances and other arguments that arise in the communities where they live. Filling the void of police and other local authorities, they also “investigate crimes, taking proposed settlements in writing to an overworked judge in Nueva Guinea who stamps the papers, making the commission’s decision legally binding.”[4] The peace commissions continue to be vital components of the communities where they are present, constantly being called upon when conflicts arise.
As the peace commissions are now working to strengthen civil society in an extended period of social reconstruction, they are slowly beginning to reframe their work in peacebuilding to include restorative justice principles. Being focused on needs and putting things right, restorative justice allows for a better understanding of the needs of both victims and offenders that are created by wrong-doing and then finding ways to address those needs. When dealing with conflict, a restorative justice framework provides a focus on justice that can offer a more holistic approach than mediation alone. In that way, restorative justice is also about mending relationships, building community, developing local capacity and solidifying peace at the grass-roots level.
With the war a distant but vivid memory, the call to work for peace may not be as loud and clear, but thankfully the commitment to follow that call remains with nearly a hundred peace commissioners still working in their communities in Nueva Guinea today. In a recent workshop with thirty of them, restorative justice was understood as a tool to allow them to actively dream the possibilities their continuing work can bring.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Kauffman,Craig. "Reflecting on Nicaragua." ICAR Newsletter. Fall 1994. V. 6, No. 2. Pp. 9-10. http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/example/kauf6319.htm
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Jeffrey, Paul. “Risky Business”. Christian Century. October 8, 1997, Vol. 114 Issue 27, p860, 3p
May 2005
