Local Peace Zones and Communities.
Historically, many countries have seen the phenomenon of local communities attempting to achieve a level of security and sanctuary from surrounding violence by declaring themselves "off limits" to violence or the incursions of armed combatants. In many cases, this is the last resort of people who are being fought over in a civil war or a secessionist movement, and who have looked for some equivalent to "international neutrality " at a domestic level - which usually turns out to be much more difficult for local people than it does for a Switzerland or an Andorra.
In some cases, local peace zones are established at a micro level - around hospitals, or schools or religious sites. In others, efforts are made to declare entire regions, departments or towns to be communities dedicated to peace and non-violence, or to be set up as neutral zones from which arms are excluded. Some peace communities are self declared, others established under the auspices of international organisations such as the UN or the Red Cross. All usually find that their status as a peace zone is fragile and precarious.(1)
In recent decades, the idea of declaring one's community or area a "zone of peace" has become a popular way for local people to try to preserve themselves from the encroachment of the widespread ci vil violence that has engulfed many countries at the end of the 20th and the start of the 21st Centuries. Thus, one can find examples such as the "Communities of Popular Resistance" in Guatemala, "Repopulated Communities" in El Salvador and "Communities in Resistance" In Chiapas in Mexico - all of which are committed to neutrality and non-violence in one form or another.
In the sections of the web site that follow we have set out details of the some of the efforts of local communities in a number of countries to establish successful peace zones - mainly in the Philippines and in Colombia, but also in Sri Lanka, Burma and El Salvador. Other example will be added to the list as we obtain information about such local initiatives and can offer some account of the founding and the fortune of such local peace initiatives - as well as some ideas about successful tactics and strategies for preserving both internal and external peace within the communities..
Readers should click on a particular country and then on a specific region to find details of the individual peace communities and - in some cases - the groups of local communities that have joined to together in region wide associations of peace communities.
(1) For a survey of historical examples of peace zones and communities see: Christopher Mitchell "The Theory and Practice of Sanctuary" Chapter 1 in Zones of Peace Landon E.Hancock & Christopher Mitchell [eds] (Bloomfield CT; Kumarian Press; 2007); and Gretchem Alther "Colombian Peace Communities: The Role of NGO's in Supporting Resistance to Violence and Oppression" in Development in Practice 16 93 & 4) June 2006 pp.278-291