Conflict and Famine in South Sudan
While much of East Africa suffers from food shortages due to drought, in South Sudan, it is conflict, rather than lack of rain, that has been the cause of a widespread humanitarian disaster.
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War and Conflict in Africa
Although the vast majority of conflicts in Africa today involve non-state actors, there has been a significant increase in state-based violence since 2010. While there is now a better understanding of the need to engage at multiple levels of society, leveraging the political will and resources to facilitate these deeper connections has remained a challenge.
The Ethnic Army and the State: Explaining Coup Traps and the Difficulties of Democratization in Africa
Since the independence era of the 1960s, there have been more than 215 coup attempts in 43 of the 54 countries of Africa. Though the numbers were mostly concentrated in the early years, coups attempts are still a feature on the continent. Where early leaders tended to form militaries based on ethnicity, coups attempts were four times as likely to happen. Likewise, because of the patronage system in place in many fragile states, when elections bring in a leader that is not of the same ethnicity as the army, coup risk spikes dramatically.
The African Union’s Panel of the Wise and Conflict Prevention
African institutional efforts at conflict prevention and mediation have proved instrumental at realizing negotiated settlements.
Constitutional Design: Vital but Insufficient for Conflict Management
Domestic institutional mechanisms of accountability are more directly relevant for managing conflict than constitutional design.
Constitutions and Conflict Management in Africa
The Africa Center’s Director of Research, Joseph Siegle, participated in a symposium at the LBJ Presidential Library at the University of Texas on October 16 examining the role of constitutions on conflict management in Africa. Responding to the recently released book, Constitutions and Conflict Management in Africa: Preventing Civil War through Institutional Design edited by... Continue Reading
Burundi: A Multi-ethnic Political Experiment at Risk?
Demonstrators took to the streets of Bujumbura following a decision by the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) to nominate incumbent president, Pierre Nkurunziza, as its sole presidential candidate for the upcoming polls scheduled for June 26. The attempt to stay on for a third... Continue Reading
Assessing Drivers of Violent Conflict in Africa
Speaking at the start of a four-day seminar titled, “Africa’s Contemporary Security Challenges” hosted by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Dr. Paul Williams, an Associate Professor of International Affairs and Director of the Security Policy Studies Program at George Washington University delivered a far-reaching overview of key drivers of violent conflict in Africa. The... Continue Reading
Alternative Dispute Resolution in Africa: Preventing Conflict and Enhancing Stability
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.
Nigeria’s Pernicious Drivers of Ethno-Religious Conflict
Navigating Nigeria's inter-communal fault lines will entail measures to mitigate ethno-religious conflict as well as realize constitutional reform.
Additional Reading on Identity Conflict
(See more recent readings on this topic here.) Report of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan By United Nations Commission on Human Rights, March 6, 2017 Despite having committed to a peace agreement, South Sudan’s warring actors have shown no sign of following through with any of the requirements therein. In fact, the... Continue Reading
A Emergência do Extremismo Violento no Norte de Moçambique
A emergência de um novo grupo militante islâmico no norte de Moçambique cria várias preocupações sobre a influência da ideologia jihadista internacional, marginalização social e económica das comunidades muçulmanas locais e uma forte reação em termos de segurança.