“Traditional Cures to Modern Conflicts”: <i>Kabara</i> Institution as “African Conflict Medicine” Among the Marghi Ethnic Group in Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Kabara Council among the Marghi ethnic group in Madagali Local Government Area (LGA) of Adamawa State is a longstanding traditional conflict resolution and peacebuilding mechanism spanning over 500 years of use. It went moribund but was reinvigorated to address rising social conflicts in post‐insurgency Adamawa State. Using Zartman's thesis on the relevance of traditional conflict resolution mechanisms to modern conflicts in the contemporary African State, this research examines the activities, structure, composition, and administration of the reinvigorated Kabara Council, as well as the council's effectiveness in resolving social conflicts among the people. Through this case study of the Kabara Council, the research contributes to the debate about what constitutes “the local” in local peacebuilding mechanisms and why they are effective in managing contemporary localized modern conflict. In a bid to make the council more effective, the study recommends expanding the Kabara Council in Madagali and adopting the council as the grassroots conflict management mechanism for the novel Adamawa State Peace, Conflict Resolution and Social Integration Commission, rather than creating a new one in Madagali LGA.