Working together to promote return and reintegration dialogue

International Organization for Migration (IOM) - 22 Sep 2006



This week IOM and its local NGO partner BELUN, sponsored by the Columbia University Centre for Internal Conflict Resolution, initiated a forum for dialogue called "Come and Share Your Thoughts Together" for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and communities of the village of Hera, 20km outside Dili.

Facilitated by church leaders and experienced BELUN conflict mediators, the forum included representatives of the seven IOM-managed camps in Hera, the six surrounding Hera communities, and government officials from the Ministries of Labour and Community Re-insertion, Education, and State Administration. A representative from UNPOL, the international police force, was also present to listen to the security needs of the community.

Drawing upon their past field experience in camp management and community conflict assessments, IOM and BELUN organized the community dialogue as part of its support to the Government-led strategy for return and reintegration of the displaced population, termed "Simu Malu." Working in collaboration with Hera community leaders and IDP camp managers, the dialogue focused on starting the Government-outlined process of reviving community relationships and rebuilding trust levels between those affected by the conflict.

Since April 2006, the political crisis in Timor-Leste has caused more than 150,000 residents of the capital Dili to flee to the safety of makeshift camps around the capital or to the homes of relatives in rural areas. As improvements have been made in re-establishing law and order with the presence of international troops and police, sporadic violence against IDP camps and within communities continues to slow the return of the IDPs to their homes.

Hera has remained a tense environment for IDPs and communities throughout the last four months of the conflict. Frequent gang violence and security threats have prolonged the displacement of approximately 8,000 villagers, while disrupting daily activities and the economic livelihood of the entire community.

Despite the tension between villagers, extensive consultation between IOM and BELUN with IDPs and their host communities revealed the willingness of the community to meet collectively to discuss their current situation. Working with the Government, IOM and BELUN's initiative allowed male and female community leaders and representatives to use the mediated forum to voice concerns related to return, and to raise questions with Government leaders about its future support to the return and reintegration process.

The forum yielded positive results as participants developed a list of action steps for future discussion by all sides of the conflict. Some these included holding weekly dialogues between all community leaders, IDPs and local government officials; working with international police to create better mechanisms for security and incident reporting and continued collaboration with the Government, IOM and other organizations to support education, agriculture, and other needs identified within the communities.

"The dialogue in Hera is a successful starting point to the longer-term process of return and reintegration. But we recognize that communities like Hera will continue to need support from the Government and international agencies to maintain regular and frequent dialogue in rebuilding mechanisms for communication and in searching for sustainable solutions to the conflict," says IOM Chief of Mission Luiz Vieira.