Alternative Dispute Resolution in Africa: Preventing Conflict and Enhancing Stability
By Ernest Uwazie. Africa Center for Strategic Studies, November 2011.
Low-level disputes in Africa can spiral into violence and conflict due to the lack of effective judicial systems that can provide a credible and timely process for resolving differences. Alternative Dispute Resolution techniques can strengthen dispute settlement systems and bridge the gap between formal legal systems and traditional modes of African justice. They may have particular value in stabilization and statebuilding efforts when judicial institutions are weak and social tensions are high.
Conflict-Sensitive Land Policy and Land Governance in Africa
By Joost Van Der Zwan. International Alert, April 2011.
Competing claims, inequitable access, and mismanagement of land and natural resources is a source of conflict in many African states. Prevention is critical since disputes are often entangled with complex factors such as demographic pressures and food insecurity and are therefore difficult to resolve. Identifying incremental reforms can quickly reduce conflict drivers, but should be supported by thorough analysis for unobservable flashpoints and dispute mediation mechanisms.
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Local Justice in Southern Sudan
By Cherry Leonardi, Leben Nelson Moro, Martina Santschi and Deborah H. Isser. Rift Valley Institute and the U.S. Institute of Peace, 2010.
Favoritism, corruption, and political interference in South Sudan’s emerging justice system have lowered confidence in its ability to resolve disputes and address revenge killings and inter-communal conflict. However, local and traditional justice mechanisms have established records of consensual dispute resolution within and across ethnic lines and could be better integrated with newly formed southern governance structures. [PDF]
Pastoralists at war: Violence and Security in the Kenya-Sudan-Uganda Border Region.
By Jonah Leff. International Journal of Conflict and Violence, 2009.
Low-level tensions between pastoralist groups in East Africa’s border regions frequently erupt into deadly confrontations. Government responses have relied too heavily on coercive disarmament campaigns, generating mistrust and prompting violent reprisals. Instead, efforts by civil society groups and inter-governmental efforts to build alternative dispute mechanisms should be replicated. [PDF]Peace and Power Sharing in Africa: A Not So Obvious Relationship
By Andreas Mehler. African Affairs, 2009.
Crises in Africa are often resolved through power-sharing arrangements. In Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, and Liberia, however, these have tended only to address elite concerns and interests. As a result, conflict drivers remain unresolved and incentives to subvert or “spoil” democratic or peace processes are strengthened. A “bottom up” approach featuring public engagement with genuine local representatives and the effective functioning of oversight institutions provide more sustainable solutions. [PDF]
Burundi’s Transition: Training Leaders for Peace
Burundi’s Transition: Training Leaders for Peace. By Howard Wolpe and Steve McDonald. Journal of Democracy, 2006. An account of the Burundi Leadership Training Program that the Woodrow Wilson Center has led since late 2002. The piece focuses on explaining the relative merits of the so-called Ngozi process, whereby representatives from various groups in conflict are brought together to engage in cooperation-building interactive exercises. Their experience may offer useful lessons for others engaged in conflict mitigation work. [PDF]
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