This study examined indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms as tools for promoting sustainable livelihood in conflict-affected communities in Rivers State, Nigeria, focusing specifically on mediation by traditional elders, reconciliation ceremonies, and restorative justice practices. Three research objectives, three research questions, and three null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey of research design. The population comprised 10,400 community leaders and conflict management experts across the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State, made up of 10,200 community leaders and 200 conflict management experts. Using the Taro Yamane formula and a multistage sampling procedure involving cluster, purposive, and proportionate stratified sampling techniques, a sample of 498 respondents, comprising 384 community leaders and 140 conflict management experts, was drawn from nine conflict-prone Local Government Areas spread across the three senatorial districts of the state. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled “Indigenous Conflict Resolution Mechanisms in Promoting Sustainable Livelihood in Conflict Affected Communities Questionnaire”. The instrument was validated by three experts in Measurement and Evaluation, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, and its reliability was established through the Cronbach Alpha method, yielding coefficients of 0.82, 0.88 and 0.76 for the three clusters of the instrument relevant to this study. Out of 498 copies of the questionnaire administered, 470 (366 community leaders and 104 conflict management experts) were retrieved and used for analysis. Mean and standard deviation statistics were used to answer the research questions, while the three null hypotheses were tested using z-test statistics at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that mediation by traditional elders, reconciliation ceremonies, and restorative justice practices all promote sustainable livelihood in conflict-affected communities in Rivers State to a high extent. The corresponding hypotheses tests showed no significant difference between the mean ratings of community leaders and conflict management experts on the extent to which each of the three mechanisms promotes sustainable livelihood. Based on the findings, the study recommended, among others, that the Rivers State Government and relevant federal agencies enact a comprehensive legal framework that formally recognises and empowers traditional elders as legitimate conflict mediators, and that reconciliation ceremonies and restorative justice practices be formally incorporated into state peacebuilding and justice institutions to strengthen sustainable livelihood recovery in conflict-affected communities.

Keywords: Indigenous Conflict Resolution, Sustainable Livelihood, Traditional Elders, Reconciliation Ceremonies, Restorative Justice.