This special edition of the weekly update spotlights the strategic application of Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) systems in monitoring and mitigating electoral violence in the Niger Delta, with a focus on the November 11, 2023 off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa and Imo States. Historically, elections in the Niger Delta are high stake affairs, highly competitive and often characterized by violence. According to data (see map above), over 350 incidents of election violence and more than 150 fatalities were reported in the region between September 2019 and September 2023. Election irregularities and clashes between supporters of political parties could be prevented or mitigated through the tactical deployment of community-based, multistakeholder EWER systems for monitoring and reporting. PIND’s integrated SMS EWER platform has proven to be very effective in collecting data on potential incidents and indicators of electoral violence from people on the ground which are then analyzed and transmitted to specialized response actors for targeted interventions to prevent and mitigate violence during elections.
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