Dr. Omam Esther, a peace mediator, human rights advocate and Executive Director of Reach Out Cameroon, has defended the role of peace facilitators who engage armed actors, arguing that communication with those carrying weapons should not automatically be seen as support for violence.
In a statement dished out on Monday, October 19, 2026, titled “Speaking to Armed Actors Is Not Complicity: Understanding the Role of Peace Facilitators,” the global peace champion says such engagement is sometimes necessary to protect lives, reduce suffering and create opportunities for dialogue in conflict-affected communities.
She draws a distinction between people who fuel violence and those who seek to bring it to an end. While some exploit conflict for personal or political gain, the Executive Director of Reach Out Cameroon explains, peace facilitators engage conflicting parties to prevent further harm and encourage peaceful solutions.
She stated categorically that humanitarian workers, religious leaders, traditional authorities, community elders, human rights defenders and mediators may have to communicate with armed actors to secure the release of abducted persons, prevent reprisals, negotiate safe passage, recover bodies or protect threatened communities.
For Dr Esther Omam, these efforts should be understood as part of the difficult work of saving lives, rather than dismissed as evidence of complicity. She argues that no meaningful peace process can succeed without communication between those seeking peace and the parties involved in the conflict.
It is difficult, she notes, to persuade armed actors to surrender their weapons without engaging them. Similarly, efforts to secure the release of captives or prevent further attacks require channels through which concerns can be discussed and solutions negotiated.
Dr Esther Omam cautions, however, that not everyone who speaks with non-state armed groups should automatically be regarded as a mediator or peace facilitator. She says credible peace engagement must have a clear purpose and be guided by ethical standards, impartiality, respect for human life and a genuine commitment to reducing violence.
Those who claim to be working for peace, she adds, should be assessed on the results of their efforts. The public should ask whether their engagement has saved lives, reduced harm, opened channels for dialogue or delivered tangible benefits to affected communities.
Where individuals lack the necessary skills or ethical guidance, Dr Esther Omam believes they should receive appropriate support to ensure their interventions do not endanger lives or undermine trust. She also insists that peace facilitation must not be used to justify violence, conceal crimes or prevent perpetrators from facing justice.
Those responsible for abuses must be held accountable under the law. However, she argues that accountability and dialogue can work together, allowing societies to pursue justice while maintaining channels for protecting civilians and reducing violence.
The peace mediator further highlights the importance of confidentiality in negotiations, describing trust as essential to successful mediation. According to her, publicly attacking people simply because they maintain communication with armed actors could discourage others from engaging in similar efforts and close channels that might otherwise help resolve humanitarian emergencies.
The consequences could be severe, she warns, with captives remaining in detention, communities losing opportunities for protection and efforts to calm tensions coming to a halt. She therefore urges the public to look beyond the fact that a person has contacted an armed group and consider the purpose and outcome of that engagement.
The central questions, she says, should be whether the contact is helping to save lives, reducing harm, opening doors to dialogue and serving the public interest. When these objectives are being pursued responsibly, she argues, peace facilitators deserve understanding and support rather than condemnation based solely on whom they communicate with.
She maintains that peace is not built only in conference halls or through formal negotiations. It can also emerge from difficult conversations, patient listening and trusted intermediaries willing to reach people whom others cannot engage.
Dr Omam Esther, known as Moeneni Mwa Barana — Light of Women, is a global peace champion, peace mediator, human rights advocate and leader in the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Beyond her role as Executive Director of Reach Out Cameroon, she is the founder and vision bearer of the Southwest/Northwest Women’s Task Force (SNWOT) and serves as a civil society board member of the UN Women Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF).
Her message about communicating with armed actors does not necessarily mean endorsing their actions. She reiterates that when guided by ethical principles and directed towards protecting lives, such engagement can help create pathways out of conflict.
For societies seeking lasting peace, Dr. Omam Esther says, the challenge is to distinguish those who perpetuate violence from those making responsible efforts to end it, while ensuring that dialogue never replaces justice or accountability.
#Laarry Times
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