A Border Defined by Conflict

For 43-year-old Abdi, a father of eight living in Haleydage village, in Afar regional state, the border with the Oromia region was a constant reminder of a long-standing dispute driven by territorial claims, competition over scarce natural resources such as water and grazing land, and deep-rooted ethnic tensions that have persisted for generations. The neighboring districts of Haleydage in Afar and Anano in Oromia have long been in a cycle of ethnic conflict and “tit-for-tat” justice where revenge has been the norm for generations. 

When revenge became personal 

The tension turned personal for Abdi in 2024 when five of his camels, his primary source of livelihood, were looted by villagers from Anano. The looting was retaliatory to an earlier act where a group from a different Afar village had stolen eight cattle from Anano. Though Abdi had no involvement in that theft, he became a victim of the escalating hostility. “I was not just angry; I was preparing for war,” Abdi admits. “I instantly began orienting my sons, telling them about our losses and equipping them with the intention of striking back. I wanted them to be ready to defend our honor with whatever it took, even if that meant bloodshed.” 

In Haleydage and Anano villages, the law of revenge had become the default education for the youth. Many lives had already been lost in this cycle, and children were raised to see their neighbors as enemies to be feared and fought at all costs. At the time, Abdi saw only one solution. “I wanted to take my camel back by force,” he shares. The men in Anano felt the same way about their cattle. Neither side was ready for dialogue, and this way of life had been passed down for generations; they simply did not know any other way. 

A community-led turning point 

Change came at a critical moment through SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia and its ‘Practice Peace and Live in Tranquility’ project, funded by the European Union. The initiative was designed to prevent, mitigate, and reduce recurring intercommunal conflict, promoting peace, social stability, and cohesion among communities along the administrative borders of Oromia, Somali, and Afar regional states. Recognizing that sustainable peace must be led by the communities themselves, particularly in areas that have experienced intermittent conflict for more than 25 years over land, water, ethnic identity, and political grievances, the intervention began by establishing cross-border peace committees in eight bordering districts across the three regions. 

Committee members received intensive training in peaceful coexistence, conflict resolution, neutral dialogue facilitation, and the socio-economic benefits of stability. Equipped with these skills, they returned to their districts to facilitate conversations between people who had long seen each other as enemies. Abdi was selected to participate in one of these peace dialogues at the very moment he was preparing for revenge. 

Choosing a different legacy 

It was there that he experienced a profound realization. “The peace dialogues opened my eyes,” Abdi says. “I realized that by teaching my sons to hate, I was ensuring they would never live safely. Just as I had been taught. It should have been on us to stop this generational pain and choose a different legacy. I was passing down the idea of war, not a way of life.” Through these facilitated discussions, more community members from Haleydage and Anano came together, not with harmful intentions, but with discussions that would soon create social stability and cohesion. The result was a breakthrough that many had long believed impossible. Following the peace dialogues, Abdi’s five camels were returned peacefully from Anano in Oromia. In exchange, the committee and local authorities facilitated the return of Ahmed’s eight stolen cattle from Haleydage village, in Afar where the matter was resolved peacefully and through mutual understanding. 

In a symbolic gesture of trust, Abdi and Ahmed exchanged phone numbers. Today, they call one another directly to prevent small misunderstandings from escalating into wider conflict. A relationship was formed where once there had only been resentment. “I have changed the way I speak to my sons,” Ahmed explains proudly. “I no longer tell them to prepare for a fight.” 

From conflict to cooperation 

The shift the project aims to achieve goes beyond the absence of violence. It seeks to help communities transition from “tit-for-tat” revenge to peaceful negotiation, transforming the border from a wall of pain into a gateway for trade. Communities are beginning to travel more freely between villages, selling livestock and goods, rebuilding economic ties that conflict had long disrupted. Local district authorities, who once spent their days managing crises and mourning the dead, now praise the project for contributing to regional stability. 

“Before this project, we lived in a state of constant high alert. Our resources were spent on security and settling blood feuds,” says a local district official. “The project has given the community the tools to govern themselves. It has reduced the administrative burden and allowed us to focus on development rather than defense. We now see people who once hid from each other trading in the same markets. This is the peace we have prayed for.” 

By healing the hearts of fathers like Abdi, the project did more than return camels and cattle. It helped secure the possibility of a future where children in Haleydage and Anano can grow up without inheriting the same fear. 

About the project  

Abdi’s story reflects the broader impact the ‘Practice Peace and Live in Tranquility’ project seeks to achieve between 2024 and 2027. The initiative aims to directly reach nearly 46,000 women, youth, community and religious leaders, government offices, and wider community members, and indirectly benefit more than 782,000 people through strengthened inter-regional understanding, improved natural resource management, enhanced institutional capacity to identify emerging conflicts, and greater community mobilization and awareness.