The Jos Conflict and Peacebuilding: Evaluating Activities of the Justice Development and Peace Commission of the Catholic Archdiocese of Jos, Using Principles of Catholic Social Teaching and Strategic Peacebuilding

The conflict in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria is regarded as a religious conflict pitting Muslims and Christians. However, other factors such as ethnicity, politics and contests for the use of wetlands in and around Jos play a major role in the conflict. Because of the bias towards religious causation, peacebuilding efforts by religious actors such as the Justice, Development and Peace Commission of the Catholic archdiocese of Jos, are understudied. In this paper, I argue that although religion is used as a motivating factor in the conflict, it is not the only cause of the conflict, but is interwoven with other socio-political factors. I also argue that the Catholic Church and its partners in Jos address these underlying causes of the conflict through religious, social and agricultural programs. Notwithstanding its present efforts which are commendable, I recommend applying the principles of Catholic Social teaching and strategic peacebuilding as a way of enhancing the Church's peacebuilding efforts.