Intra & inter-faith dialogue in Mali - How are religious actors integrated in the management of local conflicts?
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Intra & inter-faith dialogue in Mali How are religious actors integrated in the management of local conflicts?
INTRA & INTER-FAITH SÉGOU
DIALOGUE IN MALI Easing tensions between a militia
of hunters and villagers of Ouan
Jihadist groups that occupied the North and The village of Ouan in the area (‘circle’) of To-
parts of Central Mali in 2012 introduced a minian is under the influence of a militia of
version of Islam advocating for the compre- Dozo hunters, with a majority of its population
identifying as members of the Protestant
hensive enforcement of Sharia. Despite the
faith. In 2019, the village chief gave his accord
crimes committed by these groups, some
to the hunters that all the men of the village
communities also see them as providers of would join their ranks; villagers who had not
security and equity in the application of jus- been consulted opposed this decision. The
tice. Jihadist influences have polarised com- hunters then threatened to impose a fine of
munities and created tension between the 250,000 CFA (about 380 EUR) on all those
diverse branches of Islam. who did not conform.
The Protestant community of Ouan brought
In this context, the Centre for Humanitarian
the issue before the religious-consensus-buil-
Dialogue (HD) began facilitating inter & intra-
ding platform in Ségou, which counts four
faith dialogue in 2015 among nearly 200 local Christians among its members. These
imams, ulemas, Quranic masters, abbots, members facilitated a meeting and exchange
pastors or leaders of Islamic associations. between the hunters and community, during
These actors were organised into seven reli- which the Protestants explained that the ac-
gious-consensus-building platforms based in tions of the hunters went against their faith.
The chief of the hunters replied that each
Kidal, Gao, Timbuktu, Taoudeni, Mopti,
could practice their faith freely, without adop-
Ménaka, and Ségou. Their goal is to contri-
ting the rites and beliefs of the hunters –
bute to easing intra-faith tensions, as well as which joining their ranks had seemed to im-
to prevent and manage local conflicts, ply. In addition, the chief of the hunters lifted
whether communal or religious. The following the obligation set on the men of the commu-
examples below illustrate their work. nity to join the group, a decision that ap-
peased the community members.
MOPTI GAO
Resolving a land distribution Lifting the prohibition of access to
conflict in Sarehabé the graveyard of Bazi-Haoussa
At the start of 2020, the Konta family, living in Dioulabougou and Bayi-Haoussa, two vil-
the small village of Sarehabé – in the com- lages of the commune and the circle of Dan-
mune of Sah, in the circle of Youwarou, soli- songo, share a cemetery situated in the later
cited the chief of the village to obtain a field of these two villages. The chief of the village
for their private use. The chief attributed them of Bazi-Haoussa ceded this parcel to his
a tract of land not far from the village. The neighbour so that his villagers could construct
villagers, displeased about this decision as their cemetery. Faced with an increase in the
the parcel of land had previously been reser- number of the deceased, the cemetery kept
ved for collective use, demanded that the growing until it spread beyond the limits of the
head of the village cancel this act. After a lot of land attributed for it. The chief of the
non-response from his side, the villages village of Bayi-Haoussa then decided in Oc-
wanted to depose him. In May 2020, the tober 2020 to forbid the inhabitants of Dioula-
imam of Sarehabé solicited the support of the bougou from burying their dead in the ceme-
members of the religious-consensus-building tery. Faced with this decision, the inhabitants
platforms living in Sah to lead a mediation of the two villages started sending each other
between the villagers and the chief of the vil- insults through radio messages.
lage. After five months of negotiations, the
chief decided to attribute a different tract of The religious-consensus-building platform of
land to the Konta family, with the villager Gao became involved in the affair and, jointly
agreeing that he remain in his position as with the president of the two village associa-
chief. tions, led a dialogue with the aim of getting
permission for the inhabitants of Dioulabou-
gou to bury their dead. The mediation activi-
ties of the platform allowed for a compromise
to be reached: the new limits of the cemetery
of Dioulabougou would be delineated jointly
and enclosed between the two villages.
TOMBOUCTOU AND FROM THE NORTH TO THE
TAOUDENI CENTRE
Radio messages in favour of Easing tensions surrounding the
peace nomination of religious leaders
The religious-consensus-building platform The nomination of religious leaders is some-
contributes to calming social tensions by times a source of conflict, both among reli-
broadcasting messages of peace from the gious leaders themselves and among parti-
Quran on local radio stations. Since 2018, HD sans who stand in opposition to them. Since
has supported religious leaders in the deve- 2018, the religious-consensus-building plat-
lopment and dissemination of 25 messages, form has resolved several conflicts tied to
translated into six local dialects, in over a do- the succession of a deceased imam, to the
zen local radio stations. Between 2019 and nomination of members of the High Islamic
2020, the platforms of Timbuktu and Taoude- Counsel of a town, and with regards to oppo-
ni, for example, focused on the dissemination sition to the authority of an imam. The natural
of peace messaging aimed at armed youth authority of the members of the religious-
who were causing incidences in the town of consensus-building platform makes them key
Timbuktu, in turn contributing to the preven- interlocutors, as demonstrated by the role
tion of intercommunity stand-offs. Below is played by those of Ségou in the town of Kon-
an extract: gourou. While the new imam wanted to desi-
gnate his second, as per custom, he was
This is a message of the religious-consen- faced with opposition from the second of the
sus-building platform for peace. On the sub- previous imam. A mediation conducted by
ject of correct behaviour in the face of evil, the the platform of Ségou was deemed necessa-
prophet (SAAS)1 said: ry and, after several meetings, the second
“No! I swear in the name of Allah! I swear! You imam conceded his place to the newly elec-
must incontestably ordain goodness and for- ted one.
bid that which does ill onto others, or to put
the hand on the perpetrator of a crime, to
bring him back to witnessing with his own
goodness, nothing but the truth, otherwise
the divine sanction will have repercussions on
the hearts of ones and others and Allah will
curse you all.”2 And to the authors of the
Sunana to add: “Certainly, if you consider the
criminal and do not keep it from achieving its
end, it is sure that a general sanction will befall
you all.”
1 The Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him
2 Hadith reported by Abu Daoud and Tirmidhi
HD thanks Denmark for its
support since 2011 to its
action in Mali.
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