Report Links Conflict Escalation To Misinformation On Online Spaces

A new report has identified digital platforms as a major factor accelerating the spread of misinformation, hate speech and tensions that fuel violent conflicts, while also highlighting young people as both the primary drivers and potential agents of peace in conflict-affected communities.

The findings were presented at the close-out and learning event of the Delimi PROSPER Project, an initiative implemented by Engaging Borders Strategic Response and Development (SRD) with support from the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) Programme and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The project, Promoting Resource Optimisation and Sustainable Peace for Environmental Resilience, was an eight-month pilot in Plateau and Kaduna States between August 2025 and March 2026, aimed at strengthening youth participation in peacebuilding and environmental resilience efforts.

According to the project’s evidence synthesis report, digital media has significantly compressed the timeline of conflict escalation, enabling rumours and inflammatory narratives to spread within seconds across communities.

“The digital ecosystem has not changed the nature of conflict; it has changed its speed. Rumours that once took days to travel now travel in seconds, pre-framed and stripped of verification,” the report stated.

It added that youth are the primary actors within the digital ecosystem and also represent the strongest counterweight to harmful narratives.

At the event in Kaduna, the executive director of Engaging Borders SRD, Richard Ali, said the project challenged the conventional development approach that treats young people merely as beneficiaries of interventions.

“In development work, young people continue to be seen as the recipients of programmes, projects and initiatives, but what we have seen in our work at Engaging Borders SRD is that the model is both broken and has never really worked.

“Today, in the mid-2020s, young people are active participants in communities and in the narratives that drive action within them. So, centering young people in the design process is a no-brainer.

“This is what we have done under our SPRING-supported Delimi PROSPER Project, using resource-based conflict in 10 LGAs in Plateau and Kaduna States to test this proposition,” Ali said.

Ali said the project’s outcomes reinforced the argument that young people are central to both the causes and solutions of insecurity across the Sahel region.

“The results of the Delimi PROSPER Project are self-evident in supporting our thesis: young people are the primary perpetrators and victims of conflict in the Sahel, of which Nigeria is a key part, and they represent the biggest opportunity demographic to turn things around.

“This is even more true in today’s highly digitised living space, where the virtual is as impactful as the offline environment. As General Saleh Bala noted during our podcast series, narratives, led by young people, are the actual operational terrain of national security, enforcement and cohesion,” he added

Earlier, the communications officer of the project, Star Okpeh, applauded partners, participants and stakeholders for supporting resilience-building initiatives in conflict-affected communities

The report further found that structured youth engagement models delivered stronger outcomes than generic participation programmes, while inclusive approaches involving women and persons with disabilities improved early-warning systems and strengthened community trust.