A blog on peacebuilding in Africa, huh? You might be thinking "what's the point?!"
Well I'll gladly tell you what the point is. There are blogs on development and there are blogs on conflict. There are in fact plenty that focus on African development or on conflicts in Africa. There are even a handful that focus on this nexus of development and conflict that I would define as peacebuilding, but I have yet to find one that focuses on peacebuilding and Africa.
"So what?"
Ok, ok, fair question. I don't think I need to make the argument that Africa has more than its fair share of conflict. I also hope I don't need to make the point that there are success stories in Africa and not all is doom and gloom. One statistic from ONE illustrates both sides of this coin: "Although there has been a decline in the past two decades, in 2006 almost half of all the world's high-intensity conflicts were in sub-Saharan Africa."
There is a very significant and ongoing need, but also great hope for all stakeholders to be involved in preventing or resolving conflicts in Africa. Take Libya or Côte d'Ivoire as just two of the most recent examples of this need. Alternatively, the peaceful referendum in South Sudan despite worries of violence gives us hope that peace agreements, international pressure and peacekeeping can work.
"Fine, Leran! Peace is good. Let's end war! But what does that have to do with development?"
Unfortunately the record and the predictions are grim. Already in South Sudan events have transpired that suggest violence among elites and competing ethnic groups will continue to happen. Among the most troubling quotes I have read is from General Bapiny Monituel, a leader of Southern rebel group and a Nuer:
It's better to be with the north than (with) a Dinka, because I know we cannot stay together with Dinka men for more than five days."
The Dinka and the Nuer are the two largest groups in South Sudan. While the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) is integrated, it is largely dominated by the Dinka. With the North no longer a common enemy what will hold these two groups (and the many other ethnic groups) together?
What I'm getting at here is that the work of making peace continues--and perhaps intensifies--after an agreement is signed. Local dynamics and lasting cleavages can undo peace and trigger renewed conflict. Regardless if you agree with economist Paul Collier who writes "The typical country reaching the end of a civil warfaces around a 44 percent risk of returning to conflict within five years" or if you prefer to cite other scholar, the evidence is clear that there is a significant risk of a country falling back into conflict within a few years of ending a previous conflict.
A process of peacebuilding that merges an ongoing engagement with the tools of conflict resolution and the methods of sustainable development is the argument I--and my fellow bloggers--put forth as a key way to prevent violence and to promote a positive peace.
Over the course of this blog, my peers and I, will share thoughts about contemporary events and make the argument that development--done right (i.e.: with peacebuilding and conflict dynamics in mind)--is necessary for the creation of positive peace and the maintenance of negative peace (a.k.a. the avoidance of war).
We're students and young professionals so this is intended to be a dialog. I invite you to challenge us and share your opinions. As you can see, I set this first post up as a dialog with an alter-ego of mine. There are rarely easy answers in peace, development or Africa. This blog, like its themes, will be a process. I hope you join us on this process.
Thank you,
Leran
