Mr. Cosmas Nkhara BAHALI is the Director of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) based in Dar es salaam, Tanzania. He is holder of Bachelor of Arts in sociology and anthropology with minors in linguistics and French at the University of Dar es salaam, 1993-1996. He Pursued Master of Arts in Development studies (2003-2005) with major focus on contemporary International Affairs, civil society, conflict management, resolution and peace making, peacekeeping and peace building. Did research focusing on “the role of Civil society in Conflict Resolution and peace building in Kivu province in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo” He worked for five years for the International Documentation Network on the African Great Lakes Region(www.grandslacs.net). Attended conferences and Presented papers in France, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda. Attended the United Nations Civilian officer Course   and Civil Military relations at the Swedish Armed Forces International center-SWEDINT, and the Senior Management course on Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration of Ex-combatants, A two week course held at the Swedish National Defense College, Stockholm, Sweden.

 Again he attended  other courses  African Civil-Military Coordination course, South African War college, Pretoria , South Africa, International Peace Support operations senior officers Planning course (Colonel to Brigadier General) together with civilian police and Civilians equivalent), Peace Support Training Centre (PSTC), Nairobi Kenya, Attended African Presidential Roundtable  under APARC, In Johannesburg, South Africa. He also attended Civilian peacekeeping and Peace building course; Disarmament, Demobilizations, and reintegration specialization, Lusaka Zambia- organized by ACCORD/ISS/NUPI

 Mr.Bahali is Instructor on Conflict Resolution, mediation and Negotiations , Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration, DDR and Civil Military Coordination (CIMIC)  He  facilitated in a number of courses on conflict Management and Peacekeeping and Peace building for senior and middle management officers as well as senior Military Officers (with ranks of Major and Lieutenant Colonel) for military observers missions in International peacekeeping operations for Tanzania peoples defense Forces TPDF..His research interest include  Governance, natural resources Conflict, forced migration,  post conflict reconstruction and capacity Building and Civil society.

 Since he became Director of IPCS, in 2005 he created links with the African Union (AU)-Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) based at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the African Center for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) of South Africa, In Tanzania,  created links with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tanzania Peoples Defense Forces (TPDF)-Peacekeeping training Center and Tanzania Police Force, and the Institute of Development studies, University of Dar es salaam . Moreover, created more training links with Peace Support Training Center (PSTC) Kenya, and the Swedish Armed Forces International Center (SWEDINT), the Swedish National Defense College (SNDC) and the Folke Bernadotte Academy in Sweden.  

He recently held meetings in February 2009 with the Government of Sudan including political and security chief in Khartoum, Sudan for IPCS to conduct training for supporting Sudan to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and enhance peace building and post conflict reconstruction. Again, he has facilitated the signing of Memorandum of Understand (MOU) between the IPCS the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) based in Libreville, Gabon to build capacity of civilian personnel of the Multinational peacekeeping Force for Central / Force Multinationale d’Afrique Centrale  (FOMAC) from 2009 and beyond.