The Jos Forum Inter-communal Dialogue Process

The Jos Forum Inter-communal Dialogue Process refers to a peace process undertaken by communities living in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.

Since 2001, Jos has been the site of riots and communal violence leading to significant death and displacement estimated well into the thousands.

The Jos Forum dialogue process spanned 16 months from August 2013 - December 2014, ultimately leading to a "Declaration of Commitment to Peace" signed by the participating communities (Afizere, Anaguta, Berom, Fulani, Hausa, Igbo, South-South and Yoruba, as well as women who were represented as their own distinct community).

The ‘Middle Belt’ region of Nigeria refers to the imprecise dividing line between a mostly Muslim north and the mainly Christian south. Surrounded by divergent religious, economic, and cultural histories, the middle belt has been the melting pot where small and large ethno-religious groups in Nigeria have long coexisted, but where they have also increasingly collided over land, resources, identity and political power. In particular, Jos city in Plateau State has been a centre for ethno-religious disputes and violence since the 1990s. The Nigerian state responded to these episodes of violence by either launching security force operations (military and police) or by establishing commissions of inquiry at the Federal and State levels of Government. However, independent reports have observed that these actions have not achieved permanent security and the Nigerian Government itself stated that recommendations by the commissions of inquiry were not followed up: "[The 2010 Presidential Advisory Committee on the Jos Crisis] found that the recommendations of the previous reports on past crises in the State had not been implemented".

Following the numerous previous attempts to resolve conflict in Jos, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) launched a community-driven process in 2013, which was steered by the main protagonists and the victims of conflict - the local communities (Afizere, Anaguta, Berom, Fulani, Hausa, Igbo, South-South, Yoruba. In addition, women were participating as their own distinct community). Over the course of 16 months, HD convened a series of discussions on several issues of concern, including:

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