Rumors of Peace - Issue 3 2006 - Nonviolent Peaceforce

Nonviolent Peaceforce
Rumors of Peace
We Know Who We Are
“You hear the news and say, ‘Yes,
absolutely to NP!’” explained a supporter
as he pledged $5,000.
A nine year-old boy made dinner
for his community and collected
$115 for Nonviolent Peaceforce.
These are two of hundreds of
responses we received from you
after I wrote that our cash flow was
approaching drought stage.
I wrote to you and explained the
situation. I told you what we needed,
and, you responded! We have made it
through a very tough period because
hundreds of you acted to assure that
Nonviolent Peaceforce survived.
So what’s going on Amid the
rubble of bloody headlines, we sense
something new emerging. Our work
goes beyond politics, beyond governments,
countries and religions. More
and more of us are glimpsing a profound
new way not as some distant
ideal but as a realistic future that we
can help create. A growing number
of us are able to peek through the
veil and see a future in brilliant contrast
to the bloody realities of Iraq,
Lebanon, Sri Lanka, the Congo, the
Sudan…
It is time to be clear. NP is not
for the faint hearted. We are part of
a creative evolution far beyond the
vision or power of any one of us.
We are finding each other in rapidly
increasing numbers.
Change is never linear. Often reactionary
spasms lash out in a flailing
defense just before the change
arrives. Let us compassionately and
quickly usher out the old as we cocreate
a bold new chapter in history.
We have no time to lose.
With hope and resolve,
Mel Duncan, Executive Director
After weeks of open warfare between the
Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the LTTE,
the two sides recently agreed to meet for talks in
October. Nonetheless, the Ceasefire Agreement
is in tatters. The northern part of Sri Lanka,
including Jaffna, remains cut off from the rest
of the island; assistance to the civilian population
there is highly problematic. In the East,
Volume VI, Issue 3 ◆ 2006
Sri Lanka Team Faces Challenging Conditions
Internally Displaced Persons Camp set up in Kantale after thousands fled fighting in the East. Photo by Kati
Hoetger.
Nonviolent Peaceforce Sends an Advance Team to Mindanao
On the 23rd of June the convoy of the Provincial
Governor of Maguindanao was ambushed
on the Philippine island of Mindanao. The Governor
survived the attack, which killed seven
of his aides, and issued arrest warrants for two
local commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF), a group seeking self-determination
for the island’s Muslim population. The
commanders vehemently denied responsibility
and refused to surrender. On June 28th, 100
militiamen belonging to pro-government paramilitary
units began attacking MILF positions,
igniting a week of intense fighting that displaced
up to 5,000 families.
It was into this volatile situation that Nonviolent
Peaceforce, after years of discussion and
planning, deployed an Advance Team to begin a
field project in Mindanao.
The second largest and southernmost island of
the Philippines, Mindanao has been embroiled in
intermittent civil war for decades. Advance Team
members Atif Hameed and Sreeram Chaulia,
both former members of the Sri Lanka project,
access to civilians in need has been significantly
reduced. As a result, hundreds of thousands of
people remain in desperate need of humanitarian
assistance.
Both parties are violating international human
rights codes and humanitarian law. There is impunity,
with no one being punished for acts of lawlessness,
and a climate of fear continued on page 5
have a threefold mandate on the island: further
exploration and fact-finding, fundraising for the
project, and, as these explorations and fundraising
permit, making concrete preparations for
the eventual arrival of the full team.
Civil society groups from Mindanao reacted
to the renewed violence by calling an emergency
meeting of the different actors involved in the
crisis. Atif and Sreeram were invited to go with
them and did so as observers.
These sad events, as well as renewed fighting
that has broken out at the beginning of August
between government and the Abu Sayyaf group
on the Sulu Islands close by have shown clearly
how volatile the situation in Mindanao still is in
spite of the ongoing peace negotiations between
government and MILF.
In discussions with local activists about the
future Nonviolent Peaceforce work on the island,
Atif and Sreeram have heard the same questions
and concerns repeatedly: “We appreciate your
purpose for coming to Mindanao. Some international
organisations continued on page 2

Rumors of Peace
PAGE Volume VI, Issue 3 ◆ 2006
Updates from Around the World
Europe
Raising Awareness in the Capitals
of Europe
NP Europe Coordinator Alessandro Rossi
and intern Jeremie Habig headed to Paris to
attend the Salon des Initiatives de Paix there
from June 2nd to 4th. Over ten thousand
peace activists from across the globe met to
exchange ideas, dreams, and experiences.
Conference goers had the chance to visit a
booth shared by NP and its member organisation
Mouvement pour une Alternative Nonviolente
(MAN) to learn about our work from
displays in English and in French.
A few weeks later the NP Europe team was
in Brussels for Couleur Café, an annual music
festival. This year’s event included a “Village
of Solidarity” where NGOs working in areas of
armed conflict showcased their work. Visitors
to the NP exhibit were able to “feel” our Sri
Lanka project and see a selection of local handicrafts.
The display generated interest from
many visitors and raised awareness of the work
of Nonviolent Peaceforce around the world.
North America
A Season of Firsts in North America
Nothing energizes and inspires advocates
of peace more than gathering to share ideas
and offer mutual encouragement. There were
two such gatherings during June, both of
them firsts for the North America region:
a conference of the newly-formed United
States Nonviolent Peaceforce Chapters Association
(USNPCA), and the first regional conference
of NP Member Organisations.
The centerpiece of the USNPCA conference
was eight hours of Nonviolent Conflict Intervention
training, a program that will be available
through NP Local Chapters later this fall.
The rest of their agenda included the sharing
of chapter formation stories and local success
stories, fundraising brainstorms—and,
of course, the process of becoming an official
NP Member Organisation with a national
committees for ongoing work. Delegates
approved a provisional mission statement
that will now undergo ratification by local
chapters. Contact the association for further
information at www.usnpca.org.
The first meeting of the North America
Member Organisations took place in Berkeley,
California. Representatives of thirteen of the
twenty NP member organisations were on
hand—Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Center
for Nonviolent Communication, FOR-USA,
Global Peace Services, Global Exchange, Pace
e Bene, Peaceworkers, USNPCA, Voice of
Women for Peace, NP Canada, Tikkun, Michigan
Peace Team, and CONTACT. The delegates
learned about each others’ organisations
and engaged in discussions about NP’s
ongoing work in Sri Lanka while engaging
strategic questions crucial to NP’s growth.
Three Working Groups identified numerous
ways that the individual member organisations
and the NP network can advance each others’
work. Examples include joint fundraising and
public awareness campaigns, strengthening
local chapters by incorporating NP-related
work, developing local peace teams together,
and sharing information and work on recruitment,
assessment and training regarding
international peace team deployments.
Mindanao (cont. from 1)
are investing heavily in development projects.
But what is the use of tackling poverty
without peace Your organisation’s agenda
of protection and peace is the most necessary
but least addressed. Why are so many other
international efforts blind to the reality that
protection should precede development”
Local groups in Mindanao are working
to sustain the ceasefires, encourage nonviolence,
and foster peaceful relations between
communities. They also strive to make the
concerns of ordinary people heard in the
official peace process and to articulate the
need for greater international support in
pursuit of these objectives and to overcome
the “culture of silence.”
The Advance Team’s day-to-day association
with the advocacy group that worked
hard to halt the mini-war in Maguindanao
has prompted serious requests from local
civil society organisations for an urgent
deployment of NP civilian peacekeepers.
An NP presence can provide moral solidarity
to the war-battered people—a
much more valuable form of assistance
than material aid.
We hope to have found the resources to
comply with this request and send a full team
to Mindanao before the end of this year.
Rumors of Peace is published three
times a year by Nonviolent Peaceforce
(NP), a nonpartisan unarmed peacekeeping
force composed of trained civilians
from around the world. In partnership
with local groups, NP members
apply proven nonviolent strategies to
protect human rights, deter violence,
and help create space for local peacemakers
to carry out their work.
Send comments or questions to
info@nonviolentpeaceforce.org or Editor,
Rumors of Peace, 425 Oak Grove, Minneapolis,
MN 55403.
Visitors at the NP exhibit at Couleur Cafe, Belgium.
Are you receiving our e-news
Send an email to
subscribe@nonviolentpeaceforce.org
Include your name and address
so we can match your record.

Rumors of Peace
PAGE Volume VI, Issue 3 ◆ 2006
Youth Conference Connects By Maya Main
This summer, I interned with the Nonviolent Peaceforce as a Youth
Organizer, preparing NP’s 2nd annual Youth Conference on Nonviolence.
Thirteen participants from North Minneapolis and St. Cloud,
ages 14-22, represented a wide range of cultures and ethnicities, with
all of the students being people of
color. The conference focused on
personalizing the concept of nonviolence
into our everyday lives,
from how we communicate with
each other to how we resolve conflicts.
The weekend was extremely
powerful and very telling. It was
also a great opportunity for NP
to create relationships with urban
youth. While our organisation
focuses on international conflict,
it is important to interact with our
neighbors, young people in particular,
as many of them experience
conflict on a daily basis.
One of the most significant things the facilitators did this weekend
was listen and empathize with the experiences of the participants.
We did not tell the youth how they should live nonviolently because
we recognized the drastic differences of our varied experiences and
backgrounds. Because you cannot force someone to be nonviolent, the
curriculum for the conference allowed the participants to decide for
themselves how they could effectively apply the tools we learned. We
role-played conflicts that we were currently experiencing. I encouraged
the participants to think outside the box but also to challenge
the applicability and feasibility of the tools and scenarios presented
to them. Self-directed change, I
believe, is the most powerful and
sustaining type of change. Having
made a connection with the North
Minneapolis and Saint Cloud communities,
we must now focus our
training curricula on empowering
youth to use their own stories and
assist them in identifying how nonviolence
can be useful in their lives.
I can confidently say that each
participant, including myself, walked
away on Sunday morning having
changed in his or her own unique
way. Recently, I met with the director
Urban youth at NP sponsored conference.
of the North Minneapolis organisation
where some of the youths were from. I briefed him on the conference
and discussed next steps. He showed me an article that one of
the female participants had written: she wrote about how she was now
evaluating different situations where she could respond nonviolently
and prevent conflicts from escalating into violence. Hearing this, even
from just one participant, made me feel that we had been successful.
Nonviolent Peaceforce Training for Trainers Gathering in Thailand
Ten Days in July—Building
for the Future
by Jan Passion
Nonviolent Peaceforce plans to
increase our capacity so that NP could mobilize
hundreds or even thousands of trained
peace workers to a conflict situation. To this
end, NP held our first Training for Trainers
in Thailand in July—bringing together 26
peace trainers from 19 different countries
and all of the inhabited continents, with a
wealth of experience from many different
conflict zones.
NP is now ready to provide the essential
“Core Training” to large numbers of field
staff in multiple languages and to offer
multiple Core Trainings at the same time.
This is a critical step in NP’s development
and our plan to grow exponentially and thus
increase our impact in the field of nonviolent
intervention.
Working to build on NP’s experience
on the ground, the training included two
members from NP’s Sri Lanka Project and
five previous leaders of NP’s Core Trainings.
Striving to learn from similar third party
nonviolent intervention organisations, two
trainers from Peace Brigades International
also attended.
For ten days we learned about NP, shared
our diverse experiences, talked about the
skills needed for Field Team Members for
NP and practiced the delivery of various
activities. We created and participated in
role plays, deepened our own practice and
understanding of nonviolence, improved
our intercultural communication skills and
talked about the dynamics and challenges
of working in intercultural teams in conflict
zones. For a half-day, we participated in a
simulation of life in a war zone and of how
field staff work to protect civilian lives in
such situations, building strong training
teams and preparing ourselves to be able
to deliver solid, successful Core Trainings
for NP.
The group included roughly equal numbers
of women and men and people from the
global south and the global north. The age
range was from 27 through 65. The years
and wealth of experience found in this group
of trainers was most inspiring—a gathering
of teachers, NGO workers, activists, trainers,
and field workers with a passionate commitment
to nonviolence, justice and peace.
Together we are building viable alternatives
to war.
Nonviolence trainers at the opening of the
Training of Trainers. Photo by Jan Passion.

Rumors of Peace
PAGE Volume VI, Issue 3 ◆ 2006
Voices from the Field
Linda Sartor (Sri Lanka)
Recent experiences in Sri Lanka remind me
of the preciousness of life. My team in Jaffna,
in northern Sri Lanka, has been trying to support
a village particularly vulnerable to political
acts of violence coming from unknown
perpetrators outside the village. We received
a call from one of our contacts informing us
of a shooting occurring that very moment and
asking for our support. We helped as much as
we could from our office that night and then
went to the village the next morning. There, I
took in the saddest scene I have ever encountered.
In one household, there had been a
massacre of seven people plus a neighbor—
eight people in all, including one baby and a
four-year old child.
Needless to say, the people in the village
(who had fled to a nearby church for protection)
were in a state of shock and fear. At their
request, we began to provide presence, which
helped reduce their level of fear. We are not in
the position to give any guarantees, but it is
much less likely that such incidents will occur
while international peacekeepers are present.
One evening that week, we attended a community
meeting at which the people of the
village were discussing their next steps. Some
wanted to leave because they felt unsafe in
their homes. Yet, they realized that as IDPs
(Internally Displaced People), they would
likely suffer worse difficulties and dangers.
Others did not want to leave—they had been
living on this beautiful island for years and
held fond memories of their village that had
been peaceful even during the war. People
unanimously wanted security and to feel
safe again. The security forces present on the
island had been accused of being involved in
the violent incident, thus people felt threatened
by the very group that was supposed to
be protecting them.
Through our unarmed nonpartisan presence,
we were able to provide a sense of security
to the people of this community. As the
days passed, we could see a marked difference
in their fear and tension levels. One day, we
were unable to be there during the daytime
but returned for the night. As we drove into
the compound, we saw beaming smiles of
welcome and relief on their faces. At that
point, they asked us for 24-hour presence.
We immediately made arrangements to do so
for a period of time. The following day, I was
there by myself and was told that even though
I was there alone, it made a big difference.
I feel amazed and hopeful that just one
unarmed person can have such an impact on
a community’s sense of safety, and I think it
presents an exciting model to the world that
security can be provided without weapons.
Actually, I feel much safer doing this work
without a weapon than I would if I had one.
I love this work.
AIla Jibo (Kenya),
Fast-Track Field Team Member,
March 2006
When I received word that my application
to Nonviolent Peaceforce Sri Lanka (NPSL)
had been accepted, I was elated. The opportunity
to work as an advocate of nonviolence,
justice and peace is the chance of a lifetime as
I believe we are witnessing an upsurge in violence
around the world. I worked in Sri Lanka
from 2002-04 with the Voluntary Service
Overseas NGO as an Information Technology
Instructor, an experience that broadened my
view on development issues.
I arrived in Sri Lanka on the 8th of March,
2006, and immediately went to Kotmale, where
a NPSL staff retreat was underway. It was wonderful
to interact with the staff and learn about
NPSL’s work and the challenges faced by the
Field Team Members. I was able to picture the
kind of work the FTMs were doing and what
to expect once I was in the field. After a few
days of orientation in Colombo I headed north
to Jaffna. As we passed through many checkpoints
(both Government and LTTE), I noticed
numerous destroyed buildings and homes lost
to war. There are many Internally Displaced
Persons from Jaffna and this is one of the challenges
to finding peace. Resentment from the
people (and lately, from many of the university
students in particular) towards the Sri Lankan
Army escalates into violence from time to time.
Due to such resentment towards the Sri
Lankan army and police in Jaffna, locals think
Photo by Emily Rosenberg
twice before reporting crimes and criminals
often take advantage of this fact. In one incident,
gangs from two villages were clashing
over the harvesting of sand from an illegal area,
resulting in one of the gangs terrorizing a village
and throwing a petrol bomb at a house.
The police were informed but the criminals
have remained elusive. When my team visited
the police, they gave us an opportunity to follow
up on the case and invite the villagers into a
dialogue to find a solution to the problem.
Next I headed to Mutur in the east of Sri
Lanka. The majority of inhabitants in town are
Muslims but the Tamils and the Sinhalese have
large communities in the surrounding area.
I am optimistic because the NP Mutur team
has facilitated the restructuring of the Mutur
Peace Committee to make it more inclusive of
the different groups. The situation in Mutur
is very volatile due to the presence of both the
Sri Lankan army and LTTE in close proximity
and also due to factors such as competition
between the three communities for land and
government services. NP Mutur is working
strategically with the Peace Committee to
enhance dialogue between the three communities
in the area. I had the opportunity to
accompany the FTMs there on a mission to
consult one of the Tamil NGOs in organizing
a meeting with the Sinhalese Peace Committee.
I also attended a meeting facilitated
by NP Mutur between the Muslims at a local
village and Tamils in an LTTE-controlled area
regarding a recent killing. The meeting ended
in a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness.
NP was requested to keep monitoring the area
since it has not been safe for Tamils to come to
the market into Muslim areas.
I am looking forward to the challenge of
helping Sri Lankans feel more secure and
expanding nonviolent opportunities to
resolve and prevent conflicts.
Peace,

Rumors of Peace
PAGE Volume VI, Issue 3 ◆ 2006
Voices from the Field/Advocate Team Member
Ann Frisch, new member of the NP Advocate
Team, met with NP Board Co-chair
Claudia Samayoa while she was in Guatemala
last month. Ann was a volunteer with
the American Friends Service Committee
in Guatemala from 1963-1965 and was
returning to see friends in the rural communities
of Patzun and Chimaltenango. During
her stay there, she heard horror stories
of bus passengers being routinely robbed
and assaulted. Claudia Samayoa confirmed
this practice by organized crime
with police being complicit or unwilling
to protect the public. Her organisation
was one of those who met the next day
with United Nations Rapporteur Mr. Philip
Alston to report on human rights violations
in Guatemala. Among them are “social
cleansing” of the poor, lesbians and gays,
juvenile delinquents, gang members, and
women and children. Ann has a copy of the
report and can email it to anyone interested.
Ann is a recently retired faculty member
of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She
continues to teach a class in the Master’s Certificate
program in Global Education. Her
course is called “On Becoming a Global Citizen.”
The work of NP will be included this
year, along with Gene Sharp’s book Waging
Nonviolent Struggle. She first learned about
NP from Mel Duncan at a Friends General
Conference. She has been a supporter since
that time. Ann will be selling NP peace bonds
at Christmas bazaars and joining Erika
Schatz for an upcoming fundraising tour in
Wisconsin.
•••
The air was alive with enthusiasm
as 20 people gathered in May for a NP fundraiser
at The Helen M. Casey Center for Nonviolence
in Midland, Michigan. I had volunteered
at the Minneapolis office in February
and was excited to tell others about it. With
very little effort we raised $2500. The Saturday
afternoon event was short and simple:
a light lunch, a brief sharing of my volunteer
experience, NP history and current efforts
in Sri Lanka, Q&A time, and viewing of
the 12-minute NP DVD. We also had Peace
Bonds and other material available.
People definitely want to find something
hopeful that they can say Yes to when they
say NO to war in order to be part of a viable,
nonviolent effort to create a more peaceful
world. Having an NP fundraiser is a great
way to help them achieve this goal.
—Jeanne Lound Schaller
Opportunities for Support
Sri Lanka: $30,000 for a peacekeeper for one year.
Philippines (Mindanao): $12,500 for a peacekeeping team of five people for one month.
Regional Training: $2,840 for accommodation, travel and tuition for one person, preferably
from the global south, to attend a Regional Core Training on nonviolent techniques.
For more information or to make a donation contact Erika Shatz: 612-871-0005 or
eshatz@nonviolentpeaceforce.org
To donate stock or mutual funds to the Nonviolent Peaceforce, contact Tamra Falk at
612-871-0005 or tfalk@nonviolentpeaceforce.org. Please contact Tamra each time you
make a donation so we can give you credit for your gift.
Sri Lanka (cont. from 1)
due to disappearances and killings of journalists,
clergy and businessmen, even in Colombo.
The country faces a humanitarian crisis
which is a direct result of the ongoing human
rights crisis. According to the UNHCR, 240,000
people in the North and East have been displaced.
The recent ruling by the Sri Lanka
Monitoring Mission that the killing of the 17
civilian aid workers employed by Action Contre
le Faim in Mutur is most likely attributable
to Government security forces highlights the
crisis and the urgent need for the Government
of Sri Lanka to ensure adequate accountability.
International Human Rights agencies are lobbying
hard for an international human rights
monitoring mission under UN auspices.
Against this background, NPSL deployed 12
new Field Team members, an extremely challenging
task. During the staff retreat, fighting
between the LTTE and the GoSL erupted in
Jaffna and the Jaffna team members have
been unable to return there. Due to the security
situation in Trincomalee, the Mutur and
Trinco team are operating from outside the
district and conducting restricted activities
mostly in the IDP camps in Kantale. Only
the Batti and Valaichchenai teams are able to
conduct full operations focusing on the many
child abductions, identifying safe places and
supporting local actors working in IDP camps.
However, these two teams also faced restricted
access to areas where they previously were
able to work.
There is good news: As most Rumors of
Peace readers know, on 21 May 2006 a grenade
thrown at the Mutur office of Nonviolent
Peaceforce injured field team member Fabijan
Periskic and two passers-by. Two international
organisations with humanitarian missions
were also attacked. Fabijan remains
committed to offering protection to those who
seek nonviolent solutions, as do all the NP
Sri Lanka staff. Happily, Fabijan has now
returned to work.
As the situation has worsened, the NP Sri
Lanka team has been conducting regular risk
assessments and remains committed to their
work, which is not only protecting lives and
ensuring delivery of relief to displaced persons
but also building bridges between the ethnic
communities in conflict, following up on past
positive outcomes. In the midst of fear and
violence, we continue to protect people and
support those working for peace in Sri Lanka.

Rumors of Peace • 2006 Issue 3
Nonviolent Peaceforce
425 Oak Grove
Minneapolis, MN 55403, USA
Tel 612 871 0005 / Fax 612 871 0006
nonviolentpeaceforce.org
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Give the Gift of Peace on Earth!
Support unarmed peacekeepers working to reduce violence
around the world by giving beautifully-designed Peace Bonds this
holiday season. Peace Bonds range from $10-$500 in price, and purchasing
Peace Bonds is a great way to become directly involved in the
work that NP does in the field.
The six Peace Bonds, many designed by children, are beautiful;
each comes with a Gift Description Page, which explains the work
your donation supports. The purchase of a Peace Bond is fully tax
deductible.
This holiday season, log on to www.buypeacebonds.org and do all
of your gift buying online! Or, call or write the NP Minnesota office to
order Peace Bonds. For family, friends, community, teachers, or kids,
Peace Bonds make perfect holiday gifts! Peace Bonds also make wonderful
holiday cards, as we learned when a supporter recently ordered
more than 400 to send this holiday season!
To order Peace Bonds, log on to www.buypeacebonds.org or call
612-871-0005. You may also write to Nonviolent Peaceforce, c/o Peace
Bonds, 425 Oak Grove Street, Minneapolis, MN 55403.
$10 – 2 hours of Peace
Bringing People Together : Bringing
people together in a neutral setting
encourages mutual respect and
understanding.
$25 – The Space for Peace
The Heart of the Community : Our offices
in the heart of the community help demonstrate
that we are not for one side or
the other but the side of the people.
$50 – A Day of Peace
Rumor Control : Rumor control can
prevent unnecessary retaliation.
$100 – 2 Days of Peace
Election Monitoring : International
presence during elections empowers
citizens to express their beliefs and
ideals.
$250 – 50 Hours of Peace
Safe Passages : Unarmed peacekeepers
protect vulnerable refugees as they
recover and rebuild.
$500 – 100 Hours of Peace
No Child Should be a Soldier : Preventing
children from recruitment
into organized armed forces creates a
better future for us all.
Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of
Mahatma Gandhi, spoke about
100 years of Satyagraha during
the unveiling of the new Peace
Bond Designs. Photo by Greg
Tarczynski.