On August 13, 2022, the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) held a peace dialogue with communities living in and around Karat, Konso Zone Administration. The main purpose of the discussion was to evaluate previous peace-making efforts in the area and to come up with and determine the enforcement mechanisms of innovative and context-specific peace-making methods. The dialogue involved prominent local figures, religious leaders, and elders, as well as representatives and participants from the local teachers, youth, women, and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) associations. Among the issues that were raised, so as to enable communities to live in lasting peace and cooperation, are building effective ‘bridges,’ locally-owned peace-making efforts, as well as utilizing community awareness as a trust-building tool. EHRCO was also able to engage women, elders, youth, children, and other community members who had been displaced.
