Human Rights Council Forum on Minority Issues Seventh Session Geneva, 25-26 November, 2014 AGENDA ITEM 3: UNDERSTANDING THE ROOT CAUSES OF VIOLENCE AND ATROCITY CRIMES Intervention presented by: Professor Bern Angwe — Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Nigeria. The Chairperson, Nigeria is not immune from violent conflicts being experienced around the globe. Like many of these conflicts in other parts of the world, the situations in some parts of Nigeria have religious and inter-communal colorations with dire implications on the religious and identity rights of many minority groups in Nigeria. ROOT CAUSES OF VIOLENCE First, the diverse nature of the Nigerian society which is multi-cultural is not necessarily a. disadvantage but it constitutes a security challenge within the country's political environment. There are at least four forms or patterns of conflicts in the country: Resource-based conflict as is evidenced in Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa and Delta States; conflicts around the control of the state and its institution as is the case with Delta, Nasarawa and Rivers States. Identity-based Conflicts in Benue, Delta and Nasarawa and Conflicts associated with the political economy. These patterns of conflicts most times are accompanied with direct or indirect religious colorations as is the case with "Bo ko Haram" in the North-Eastern parts of Nigeria, Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, . Second, there is significant evidence to indicate that these conflicts are also about livelihood, access to land and human survival, pitting pastoralist and sedentary populations against one another in the context of evolving ecological conditions and land use pressures as is the cases in Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue and Kaduna States. RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT Section 14(2) (b) of Nigeria's 1999 Constitution which explicitly states that "the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of Government", Squarely obligates government to protect and guarantee the livelihood, well-being and security of all people in Nigeria. In a bid to discharge this responsibility to protect, government established institutions and structures to cater for the victims and survivors Of these conflicts. One of such institution is National Emergency Management Agency (N.E.M.A), which have presence across the three levels of government as well as the National Commission for refugees and internally