New research undertaken by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) indicates that the level of violence in northeastern Nigeria has declined substantially in many areas since the height of the Boko Haram insurgency in 2015. In a survey encompassing sites in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, 85% of respondents reported witnessing a reduction in the level of violence and human rights abuse in their communities. A comprehensive approach to transitional justice – measures (judicial and otherwise) used to redress human rights abuses and repair social cohesion following armed conflict – is needed to provide accountability for crimes committed during the insurgency, while simultaneously empowering local communities to lay the groundwork for an enduring peace. Four scoping studies were undertaken in northeastern Nigeria to address some of these concerns. They included a survey of the atrocities committed and the prevailing attitudes toward reconciliation, and three separate
assessments of community readiness and potential for local mechanisms of transitional justice in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe – the states most-affected by Boko Haram violence.
