Ghana
Located in West Africa, a generally tumultuous region characterised by political instability of varying magnitude, ranging from coups, political turmoil, violent sectarian conflicts, to simmering political tension even in some seemingly ‘stable’ countries, Ghana stands out as an encouraging success story. Besides being the first nation in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve independence from a colonial […]
Preventing and Punishing Sexual Violence
Executive Summary Efforts to build lasting peace at regional level involve multiple strata of actors, institutions and processes. Regional organisations that are in search of shared peace and security must take cognisance of the various layers of political and social history of many sovereign states. These bodies must accommodate different economies, legal systems and security […]
Responsibility to Protect
While the intervention in Libya saved relatively many lives, there is hesitation to intervene in Syria due to geopolitics, despite the threshold for intervention having been reached. However, by endorsing the notion of responsibility to protect, UN Member States, including the Security Council, agreed to act collectively to save humanity from atrocities. Therefore, the international […]
Sexual Violence Beyond Conflict Termination
Based on a pilot study of seven African countries – Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Liberia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and South Africa – this Policy & Practice Brief presents insights on amnesty regimes and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV)2 beyond conflict termination. It shows that CRSV often continues past conflict termination and that most […]
Climate change and conflict
Introduction In preparation for COP17 (17th Conference of the Parties) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) in Durban, held a two-day expert seminar to identify issues and recommendations for ensuring that adaptation to climate change is conflict-sensitive. Practitioners and scientists presented […]
Managing Election-related Violence (English)
Approximately 25 presidential, legislative and local elections are planned in Africa for 2011.2 The African Union (AU) has identified the forthcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as ones that require special attention. This is because many parts of the country – including the Kivus, Bas-Congo, and Equateur Province – continue to experience violent […]
Managing Election-related Violence (French)
A peu près 25 élections présidentielles, législatives et locales sont prévues en Afrique en 2011.2 L’Union Africaine a reconnu les prochaines élections prévues en République démocratique du Congo (RDC) comme celles qui méritent une attention particulière. Cela s’explique par le fait que beaucoup de parties du pays, y compris les provinces du Nord et du […]
The Abunzi Mediation in Rwanda
This Policy & Practice Brief analyses the role of traditional institutions for conflict resolution, paying special attention to their relevance in post-conflict societies. Using Rwanda’s abunzi mediation system as an example, the brief considers traditional African mechanisms for conflict resolution as unique, context-specific, and responsive to the justice needs of societies emerging from conflict. The […]
The New Sudans
This Policy & Practice Brief focuses on the challenges facing the two Sudans post separation. 17 October marks 100 days since the fracturing of the Sudan. It is, therefore, an opportune moment for reflection on the state of affairs as the two states move into uncertain futures. The date also offers a chance to assess […]
Peace Implementation in the Post-2005 Era
This Policy & Practice Brief focuses on four peace agreements, namely the 2005 Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the 2007 Ouagadougou Peace Agreement (OPA) in Côte d’Ivoire, the 2008 Kenya National Accord (KNA), and the 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA) in Zimbabwe. These particular peace agreements ended serious levels of violence and ushered in conditions […]