In June 2023, prior to the Sierra Leonean 2023 general election, ACCORD, in collaboration with Mr Mohamed Kunta, the African Union Youth Ambassador for Peace (AYAP) for the West Africa region, and the Young People’s Advocacy Network (YPAN), hosted an Election-related Conflict Management Training for Sierra Leonean Youth. With Sierra Leone’s elections having taken place, ACCORD reconvened the participants of that training to explore their roles in managing conflict during the election process and how the training they received bolstered their contributions.
The dialogue, which took place virtually on 2 November 2023, provided the opportunity for the youth representatives to share their experiences of preventing violence during the elections, and to interrogate each other’s methodologies, best practices and solutions to the challenges. The event, which was opened by Mr Peter Senesie, Programme Manager at the Youth Partnership for Peace and Development, featured a number of prepared presentations from youth leaders, including Mr Abdul Aziz Bangura, Ms Fatmata Bah, Mr Wurie Mamadu Tamba Barrie, Ms Theresa Masuba, and Ms Christine Lomba. The participants stated that while some challenges were encountered on election day, such as delays in the opening of some polling stations, and misinformation on social media; continued voter education and outreach in the build-up to the elections, especially by and for young people, as well as open and honest election observation missions during the voting and vote counting, helped to prevent any serious conflict.
A recurrent theme throughout the discussion was the need for greater partnership building between youth groups in Sierra Leone and regional and continental organisations. The participants expressed that this was an avenue for further capacity building and a way to access technical and financial resources more efficiently. Partnership building and coordination is a central pillar of the African Union Continental Framework on Youth Peace and Security, as greater cooperation allows for more effective use of resources and more opportunities to share knowledge and experiences.
This dialogue also follows on from a training ACCORD held with the African Union Youth Ambassadors for Peace, including Mr Kunta, on election-related conflict management, and a workshop on developing Youth Peace and Security national action plans that ACCORD held in Cameroon in partnership with Mr Achaleke Christian Leke, the AYAP for the Central Africa Region. Partnering with the AYAPs is a key avenue through which ACCORD continues to promote the role of youth in preventing, mitigating and resolving conflict.
