 Now, two years after local emir, Gibral Diyalo fled his home in northern Burkina Faso, following death threats from Islamist militants, he has received an unexpected request to achieve his return and take part in peace talks with the same people who wanted him dead. Deputy Mayor of Diyalo's hometown of Tio, Adama Kudrako, called him in January to help negotiate an end to years of attacks by jihadists against local militias and civilians that force thousands of people to flee the area. African armies and their international allies have fought jihadist militants in the Sahel region for a decade, with little success. But calm has returned to one small town in Burkina Faso. They tried the novel approach of diplomacy. Two years after the town of Tio was devastated by jihadist violence, Deputy Mayor Adama Uedriago and a group of volunteer fighters set out for a militant encampment. The men who we are in crisis against, we all know each other, but these 12 and 13-year-old kids, they don't know anyone. And if they grow up in this violence, with this state of mind, it will be very difficult to bring them to their senses. The crisis could never end in Burkina Faso. The first meeting was held secretly in December, in the forest outside the town. Uedriago realized he would need help to secure lasting change. He called on Diabriel Diyalo. The highly respected traditional chief to the region's Falani herders had left to you after receiving death threats. But he returned to lead the talks with those who had wanted him dead. By February, the pair had struck a truce with the militants. The jihadist's main condition was that volunteer fighters ceased their patrols and they vowed to end their attacks and lift blockades. The negotiators agreed and allowed the jihadists and their family members to trade at Tio's markets and receive medical care in the town. That's one of the militant leaders talking on speakerphone. He's saying that they need to speak with one voice and that weapons need to be withdrawn to achieve peace. Today, commerce is once again flowing freely into you and thousands of displaced people like Butcher Idrisa Diyalo have returned. Now, calm has returned and that's why I came back. I started to work a bit and there's a lot of customers who come. But elsewhere, bloodshed continues. A week ago, 132 people died in an attack on a village near the border with Niger. With no apparent end in sight, former colonial power France on Thursday announced it was ending its 5,100 strong counter-terrorism operation in the Sahel. President Emmanuel Macron said troops would now operate as a part of broader international efforts in the region. Macron had previously refused to negotiate with the militants and the Burkinaabe government does not publicly acknowledge the back-channel talks by local leaders like Wajra Ogo and Diyalo. But sources involved say they are quietly supported. The government did not ask us to talk to these people but they are not against it because they haven't stopped us from doing the work. The day they say they are against it, we will stop doing it. Other initiatives have been reported in the Sahel and Bukhledu-Muhun regions of Bukhina Faso, as well as Nord where Tu is located. Data collected by the US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project shows there have been significant reductions in conflict-related fatalities. Other factors, including recent military offences, could have played a role. But it might just be that words, rather than bullets, are helping to bring about peace. As Diyalo says, life is too interesting for fighting, too short for not getting along.