Context Assessment and Analysis in Development Work: Understanding Conflict Variables and Process

What is Conflict Analysis (CA)?

Conflict Analysis is the process of scrutinizing the different variables in a conflict in order to understand the conflict, hence device a working/ sustainable intervention peace plan.

Conflicts have multiple elements which is why a scrutiny of each of the variables is necessary prior to an intervention.

How Do Varying Conflict Elements Shape a Conflict?

Conflicts have multiple elements/ variables that influence how the conflicts progress over time.

These variables, also, hold the secret as to how such conflicts can be approached and de-escalated/ managed/ solved.

Key Conflict Variables Important in a Conflict Analysis

The following comprise some of the conflict variables that a development worker/ project officer/ program manager/ peace and conflict consultant should look into when doing Conflict Analysis as they (the variables) will, in one way or another, influence his/ her decisions on how to proceed.

• Conflict issues: These refer to the  polarizing issues or the focus issues underlying violence. Different organizations have different definitions. As such, it is important for development workers and peace organizations to clarify their working definition of what ‘conflict issues’ mean to them.
• Actors: The people who play a direct/ indirect role in the escalation/ de-escalation of a conflict, as well as the people who are directly/ indirectly affected by the conflict. Actors Mapping Tool is one the best tools of identifying actors as well a their relationships.
• Stakeholders: Actors, institutions, agencies, etc. working for or against the course/ field that seeks to solve the conflict. The processing of this information is done in a Stakeholders’ Analysis process.
• The relationships between the conflict actors. It is not sufficient for peace workers to know who the peace actors are; it is paramount to understand the relationship between these actors. Development workers and program officers in the Peace and Conflict Field need to understand the relationship between actors for multiple reasons. Here is an detailed  post that goes into these multiple reasons : 5 reasons why every intervention must start with an actors mapping.
  
• The relationships between the different stakeholders
• External Dynamics: Political climate, natural occurrences (drought, floods, etc.), funding policies (shrinking spaces), etc.
• Time: The history of the escalation/ de-escalation of the conflict in question, etc.

Conflict Analysis: End Product or Means to an End?

Conflict Analysis is NOT an end product in itself.

Understanding a conflict is usually part of a process that informs the decision by a peacebuilder, development worker, project manager, peace and conflict consultant or program coordinators to plan / strategize an intervention that will have maximum positive impact and minimum negative effects.

Conflict Analysis is a Conflict Sensitivity measure in its own right. Read this post (conflict sensitivity) to gain more insight into what Conflict Sensitivity is, and why it is the one most important thing that peace workers, development workers, project managers, program coordinators or peace and conflict consultants should always have at the back of their minds when planning or implementing peace projects. Development workers also need to look out for their own welfare.

Why Should You Do Conflict Analysis?

Please click on Next Page to read more on:

• • Why you need to conduct a conflict analysis
  • How to conduct a conflict analysis and which tools you can use
  • Examples of Conflict Analysis Tools
  • How to carry our a Conflict Sensitivity and which tools to use