The African Union Commission, through its Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, convened the Inaugural Continental Dialogue with Traditional, Inter-Faith and Judicial Leaders in Support of the Implementation of the Silencing the Guns (StG) Initiative in Accra, Ghana, from 15 to 18 June 2026, in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Ghana. Held within the framework of Agenda 2063 and the AU Master Roadmap on Silencing the Guns by 2030, the Dialogue brought together traditional authorities, faith leaders, judicial members, AU officials, policymakers, and women and youth representatives from across the continent to strengthen cooperation between formal and informal institutions in advancing inclusive, community-driven peacebuilding.

The opening session affirmed the vital role of traditional and religious institutions in promoting social cohesion and mediating conflicts at the community level, while reaffirming the urgency of accelerating the Silencing the Guns Agenda. It called for renewed continental commitment and collective action, stressing that sustainable peace requires deeper engagement with community-level actors and the meaningful inclusion of women and youth.

Participants reviewed the Dialogue's objectives, centred on strengthening multi-stakeholder collaboration, promoting experience-sharing, and generating actionable recommendations for implementing the Silencing the Guns Agenda. They noted that achieving lasting peace goes beyond ending armed conflict and requires tackling underlying drivers, including governance deficits, inequality, limited access to justice, and weak social cohesion.

High-Level Panels on perspectives of the three tracks of the Dialogue: Traditional, Inter-Faith and Judicial, affirmed that these actors play an essential role in conflict prevention, mediation, reconciliation, and community resilience. Their legitimacy and proximity to communities uniquely position them to detect tensions early, promote dialogue, and foster peaceful coexistence, with judicial institutions further contributing through accountability and upholding the rule of law.

Deliberations stressed the importance of preventive approaches, particularly strengthening community-based early warning and response systems and improving coordination across local, national, regional, and continental structures. Participants also highlighted the need to address hate speech, resource-related disputes, and misinformation through coordinated community engagement and peace messaging.

The Dialogue underscored the importance of truth-telling, reconciliation, and healing processes to address historical grievances, supported by traditional, faith-based, and community actors. It further called for expanded community mediation, legal empowerment, and access to justice through paralegals and local peace structures, alongside stronger action to curb the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons through border controls, disarmament, and reintegration support.

Participants emphasised the need to formalise collaboration between traditional, inter-faith, and judicial institutions, strengthen linkages with national peace frameworks, and ensure meaningful participation of women and youth consistent with AU frameworks on Women, Peace and Security and Youth, Peace and Security. In this regard, the Dialogue highlighted a proposal to establish a Continental Stakeholder Engagement Platform for Silencing the Guns as a structured mechanism for sustained collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and accountability, linking continental commitments to community-level action.

Overall, the Dialogue reaffirmed that silencing the guns demands a comprehensive, whole-of-society approach rooted in prevention, inclusion, justice, and sustained cooperation. It concluded that the Silencing the Guns Agenda is not only a peace and security imperative but equally a governance, development, and human dignity agenda, fundamental to achieving a peaceful, secure, and prosperous Africa.

 

Accra, 17 June 2026

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