Peace, Conflict and Security in Africa: Employing an African Solution to African Problems

Abstract

The greatest challenge that faces the human race today is to live in a peaceful world; a world devoid of endless conflicts and a world that is secure to all. People are either worried of neighbours who rise against neighbours or are worried of being attacked by criminal gangs. The African continent has for many years fallen victim of a variety of conflicts. Decades ago, conflict was mainly among nations, but as the number of inter state conflicts decreased, there has been an upsurge of inter-society conflicts such as ethnic cleansing, politically related violence, cattle rustling, pastoralists fighting for resources, just to mention but a few. The prevalence of armed violence in Africa has often been blamed on injustice, unequal distribution of resources, poverty, lack of cultural integration, marginalization, external support from the West – especially in the supply of ammunition, among other factors. It is amazing how modern day conflict involves sophisticated ammunitions that are not manufactured in Africa. A lot of information has been written and spoken about mutual co-existence but it seems that the more we talk about peace, the more things remain the same. Many peace actors have proposed the so called “African solutions to African problems” as opposed to “Western solutions to African problems” but conflict still persists. This paper will discuss the importance of peace especially in regard to the socio-economic development of the African people and the African continent. It looks as peace as not just the mere absence of conflicts but rather the presence of firm structures that ensure the cementing of proper, realistic and genuine relationships and interactions that ultimately leads to comprehensive peace-building process. It will also look at the trigger factors and prescribe the way forward to amicable resolutions of conflict; and how the African continent can be secure to all without relying on idealistic prescriptions from the West – who are largely perceived as part of the problems than the solutions. As a way of employing an African solution to African problems, this paper suggests factors such as diplomatically engaging the conflicting parties, deep analysis of the exacerbating factors, focusing more on preventive measures rather than curative ones, and the media reportage of the conflict