ACCORD has adapted to the new COVID-19 reality, refocusing and restructuring a significant proportion of its staff and its effort on identifying & monitoring, tracking &, analysing, and preparing & responding to COVID-19 related social-unrest and violent conflict in Africa.
Through our networks across Africa, and supported by available online data, ACCORD identifies COVID-19 related incidents and trends that may provide early warning of rising tensions that could develop into social unrest and violent conflict. Once the incidents are captured in the dataset, ACCORD analyses the trends and publishes a weekly COVID-19 Africa Conflict and Resilience Monitor, in order to share the information and analysis with all stakeholders.
ACCORD then works with its in-country networks and other local, regional, continental and international partners and stakeholders, to encourage and support interventions aimed at mitigating, and where possible preventing, COVID-19 related social unrest and violent conflict.
The April edition of the Conflict and Resilience Monitor begins with a feature article from the CEO of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), H.E. Ambassador Marie-Antoniette Rose-Quatre. Ambassador Rose-Quatre writes about the need for better synergy amongst the various peace and security architectures in Africa. She further goes on to stress the need to ensure that early warning is translated into early intervention in order to address peace and security challenges.
El-Ghassim Wane writes about the upcoming Ministerial Peacekeeping Conference that is taking place in Berlin. The article highlights the opportunity for African countries to share their perspectives on peacekeeping, whilst highlighting the successes and difficulties that have been experienced on the continent. El-Ghassim Wane further goes onto address the need for better peacekeeping co-operation between the African Union and the United Nations.
Moving from peacekeeping to peacebuilding, Leonard James Ngeleja writes about the importance of Communities of Practice (CoPs). A CoP is a structure that fosters co-operation, collaboration, experience sharing and collective problem solving amongst a variety of peace and security actors. This better co-operation, according to the article, enhances peacebuilding, but a CoP needs to be inclusive, have clear objectives and governance structures as well as sustained engagement in order to be more effective.
Keenan Govender writes about the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which is currently the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Keenan writes about the geopolitical dimensions of the conflict, in light of the recently held conference in London that sought to establish a contact group of international partners in an attempt to take a step towards ending the conflict in Sudan.
Finally, Rumbidzaishe Matambo writes about the impact that climate change is having on peace support operations in Africa. The article discusses the increasing need to deal with the climate-security nexus, in part by better integrating climate data into security analysis to deal with environmental stressors. There is thus a need to move away from reactionary models of intervention to more proactive, community-centred approaches that will build resilience.
Timely interventions are necessary to prevent instability, as well as peace and security risks. The nexus between governance, democracy, and peace and security is undeniable.
As African delegations prepare for the Berlin discussions, they can bring valuable perspectives informed by direct experience with peacekeeping operations across the continent.
A CoP offers a promising model to address challenges by fostering collaboration, shared learning, and collective problem solving among diverse peace and security actors.
If you are able to share information from your experiences on the ground with the crisis in Africa, we'd really like to hear from you. Please get in touch!
