![Saadia, who was six months pregnant, outlines to Judge Alkali Laouali Ismaël, left, her reasons for wanting a divorce, in Maradi, Niger, April 4, 2017.](/sites/default/files/styles/image_with_caption/public/2022-11/africa_divorce_6-nyt-project.jpg?itok=qJJCOPsT)
By exploring more nuanced understandings of peace, examining how they vary between and across communities, and finding which indicators of peace are most valued, peace might be better pursued. USIP launched the SOPN research project in 2021.
Publications
![Nigerians load a cow to be sold at a market in 2018. Farming and herding communities have fought escalating battles for land and water — one of the many conflicts roiling Nigeria in recent years. (Adriane Ohanesian/The New York Times)](/sites/default/files/styles/summary_image/public/2022-02/20220210-nyt-nigeria_herding_clashes_10-ac.jpg?itok=FrWcjAcd)
Amid Nigeria’s Violence, a Local Peace Process Advances
Communities of herders and farmers fought for a decade. A peace accord has changed that.
![A civilian vigilante serves as a lookout along the last line of defense for the southeastern flank of Maiduguri, the biggest city in northeastern Nigeria, Aug. 22, 2019. (Laura Boushnak/The New York Times)](/sites/default/files/styles/summary_image/public/2021-09/20210908-nyt-boko_haram_drones_10-ac.jpg?itok=M2fCnrIc)
Six Alternative Ways to Measure Peace in Nigeria
Evaluating the state of peace should go beyond counting fatalities.