At Community Peacebuilding workshop: Experts say justice, inclusive governance pillars of sustainable peace.

This was the dominant thrust of deliberations at a one-day seminar, organised by the Heritage Higher Institute of Peace and Development Studies, in partnership with Nico Halle & Co. Law Firm. 

The event, held under the theme: “Justice, Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in Cameroon,” brought together a cross-section of stakeholders, including legal minds, academics, religious leaders, traditional authorities, civil society actors and media personalities. 

Organisers said the gathering served as a critical platform for diagnosing the root causes of conflict in Cameroon and proposing multidimensional responses, grounded in both legal and socio-cultural realities. 

This has been the mainstay of the partnership between Heritage Higher Institute of Peace and Development Studies in partnership with Nico Halle & Co. Law Firm in the last three years.

Reframing justice as moral responsibility

In a thought-provoking keynote address, Sir Dr Barrister Ntumfor Nico Halle challenged conventional understandings of justice, urging participants to move beyond legal formalism toward a value-based conception, rooted in morality, spirituality and human responsibility.

He said persistent crises confronting Cameroon are less a failure of laws than a failure of values.

“Peace has not disappeared by accident; it has been eroded by our actions,” he noted, arguing that “injustice begins at the micro level within homes, institutions and everyday interactions before manifesting as national instability”. 

He advanced a philosophical yet practical framework, situating justice at the intersection of love, equity, accountability and truth, insisting that without these foundational elements, peacebuilding efforts risk becoming superficial.

Drawing on vivid analogies, Ntumfor Nico Halle illustrated how inequality and exclusion generate conflict. 

He argued that when access to resources is monopolised, tensions become inevitable, reinforcing the idea that peace cannot be sustained in the absence of fairness.

Nico Halle further criticised what he described as a culture of hypocrisy, where individuals profess moral or religious values, but fail to uphold them in practice, particularly in governance, professional conduct and public life.

For him, restoring peace requires a return to ethical leadership and personal accountability, beginning from the individual and extending to national institutions.

Erosion of traditional rulers' authority & consequences

A major point of the workshop was the exploration of the evolving role of traditional rulers in peacebuilding, presented by Rev Fr Humphrey Tata Mbuy.

His intervention provided a historical and anthropological perspective, portraying traditional rulers as once-central figures in maintaining justice, social order and reconciliation, particularly in rural Cameroon.

Traditionally, he explained that Chiefs function not merely as administrators but as spiritual custodians and mediators, linking the living community with ancestral authority and ensuring societal balance.

He regretted that the institution has undergone significant transformation and, in many cases, decline in authority. 

Rev Fr Mbuy identified several structural challenges amongst which include, politicisation of traditional leadership, which he said, compromises neutrality and economic vulnerability; rendering rulers susceptible to external influence, cultural disconnection, particularly among younger generations, legal reclassification, reducing traditional rulers to auxiliaries of administration amongst other vices.

The shift, he argued, has weakened their legitimacy and effectiveness in conflict resolution, contributing to the proliferation of unresolved disputes and community fragmentation.

He went on to say 'that in the past, the authority of a traditional ruler was unquestioned and capable of resolving conflicts swiftly. 

Today, however, that authority is often contested, ignored or undermined or even weakened, especially as the laws have rendered them auxiliary administrative officers. As such, they are bound to take others from hierarchy.

He called for a deliberate effort to revalourise traditional institutions, including financial support mechanisms from subjects, clearer legal frameworks, and renewed community engagement.

Mediation as pragmatic alternative to conventional justice

While offering a practical dimension to the discourse and possible solutions to peace building, Military Magistrate and seasoned conflict resolution expert, Didier Sipa Ndongmo, advanced mediation as a critical, yet, underutilised tool in Cameroon’s peacebuilding strategy.

He framed conflict as an inevitable feature of human interaction, arguing that the real challenge lies not in eliminating conflict but in managing it effectively.

“Mediation exists in our daily lives, even if informally,” he observed, pointing out that families and communities already practice forms of mediation without structured frameworks.

He emphasised that formalising and scaling such practices could significantly enhance conflict resolution outcomes.

Justice Ndongmo outlined the advantages of mediation. He cited voluntary and participatory; giving ownership to parties involved, confidential and less adversarial, preserving relationships, faster and more affordable than court procedures and culturally adaptable, integrating local realities and traditions.

Central to his argument was the concept of restorative justice, which prioritises healing, reconciliation and relationship rebuilding over punitive measures.

His discourses also provided critical assessment of past conflict management approaches in Cameroon, noting that reliance on security measures, judicial processes and limited dialogue initiatives has produced only partial and often unsustainable results.

Most importantly, he highlighted key pitfalls in mediation processes, including poor stakeholder representation, bias, inadequate handling of power dynamics and failure to manage emotions, all of which he added, can undermine outcomes.

Peacebuilding as a continuous, inclusive process

Complementing the perspectives, Prof Willibroad Dze-Ngwa shifted the focus toward the broader architecture of peacebuilding, emphasising inclusivity, persistence and societal transformation.

He described peacebuilding as a continuous and systematic process, not a one-off intervention, requiring sustained engagement across generations and institutions.

“Peacebuilding is about transforming mindsets,” he stated, stressing that durable peace cannot be achieved without addressing the underlying attitudes and perceptions that drive conflict. 

A key component of his proposal was the integration of peace education into national curricula. He argued that early exposure to values such as tolerance, dialogue and coexistence are essential for cultivating a culture of peace.

Despite previous research and recommendations in this area, he lamented the lack of coordinated implementation, calling for stronger political will and institutional commitment.

Deliberations at the workshop converged on the need for a comprehensive and inclusive peacebuilding framework that integrates legal, cultural and social dimensions. 

Participants agreed that sustainable peace in Cameroon requires amongst other measures, a justice system anchored in fairness, accountability and transparency, stronger community-based conflict resolution mechanisms, institutionalisation of mediation and alternative dispute resolution, reinvigoration of traditional and religious authorities, inclusive governance that reflects diverse voices and interests and a responsible media engagement in conflict-sensitive reporting. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3759 of Monday April 13, 2026