Strengthening social cohesion through the community approach

Adam Abbo Hamad is a chief of one of the host villages around the community of Tongori in Ouaddaï province, home to over 13,000 Chadian returnees who fled the conflict in Sudan. 

Following a series of fires that affected Tongori in March-April 2024, he helped to stabilize and strengthen social cohesion between returnees and host communities. He also took part in the skills-sharing activity organized by IOM to support community livelihoods and promote living together.

Regarding peaceful cohabitation, when the fires (in March 2024) started in Tongori, we, the village chiefs, got together to say that if we left the returnees alone to manage this, it would be difficult. So we brought together all the chiefs of the 10 host villages, and together with the site block chiefs, we looked for solutions. (...). 

Since then, there have been no more fires. Awareness-raising sessions on social cohesion and conflict management at the water point have been conducted in the 10 host villages to establish a climate of peace and promote living together.

For me, social cohesion means that we are all brothers and sisters, and as Chadians, if there are conflicts between us, it's preferable that we get together to settle them amicably. The people who were afraid of the fires and took refuge in Adré have been asked to return, as there is now a good symbiosis between the two communities and there are no more fires.

As part of a continued effort to strengthen relations between the two communities, the IOM protection team approached me to find out what I could contribute in terms of knowledge sharing at the site's community center. As I'm a leather craftsman and can make bags, wallets, purses, horse mounts and lots of other things, I agreed to drop in twice a week to share my skills with others in the returnee community. I have also informed other people in the host villages who make leather shoes or have other skills to come with me to the community center to share our knowledge, strengthen the links between the two communities and promote living together.