Early Warning Conflict Prevention: A Necessity for Peaceful Coexistence

Author(s)

Sam Olatunji Ajiye ,

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Volume 12 - April 2023 (04)

Abstract

Conflict early warning is supposed to identify and trigger actions to reduce the onset, duration, intensity, and effects of multiple violent conflicts. The study appraised early warning conflict prevention (EWCP) as a panacea for peaceful coexistence in Nigeria. In addition, various empirical literature on the relationship between early warning conflict prevention and peacebuilding was extensively reviewed. The findings from the review showed that the government should develop an effective relationship between early warning and early response to the conflict before violent conflict gets out of hands. Several lives could have been saved if the Nigerian government had been proactive and responded timely to the violent conflict that engulfed Nigeria in recent times, such as the Boko Haram insurgency, farmer-harder crisis, kidnapping for ransom, and militancy. In addition, oil theft, political violence, and banditry, amongst others, would have been averted if the government, politicians, various security agencies civil society organizations had adopted a solid and effective early warning conflict prevention and response mechanism that could have persevered the deadly and unquantifiable loss of lives and property, loss of revenue to government caused by violent conflict in Nigeria.

Keywords

Early Warning, early response, conflict prevention, peaceful, coexistence.

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