“…this thing is an industry; budgets are exploding…” An international refugee agency worker based in Kampala. By January 2018, media reports of a deal for Israel to deport rejected African asylum seekers and migrants to Uganda and Rwanda were still being denied. Believed to have started in 2013, deported African migrants gave testimonies to media insisting […]
Essays
Essays present critical analysis and debate on a pressing issue in African peacebuilding.
Securing Peace and Stability in Africa: An Interview with Dr. Chukwuemeka Eze
by African Peacebuilding Network and Next Generation Social SciencesThe African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) held a joint training workshop in Peduase, Aburi, Ghana from the 24th to the 28th of June, 2019. We had the opportunity to sit down to ask Dr. Chukwuemeka Eze, Executive Director of West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) who delivered a keynote speech on the first day of the workshop, a few questions.
Rural Banditry in Zamfara state, Northwest Nigeria
by Samaila SuleimanRural banditry by all accounts is undermining security, peace, and development in Nigeria’s northwest. While the unfolding crisis could be linked to a set of factors, the threat to security in a region already reeling from the effects of a decade-long Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast cannot be over-stated.

A Perspective on Next Generation Peacebuilding in Africa: What Next?
by Admire Mare, Toyin Ajao, Arsène Brice Bado, Fredrick Ogenga, Samaila Suleiman, Chantal Ingabire and Edmore ChitukutukuBetween April 10-12, 2019, seven alumni of two SSRC programs—the African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen)—joined some of the world’s leading thinkers, practitioners, and funders in the field of peacebuilding for a two-day high-level conference organized by Wilton Park in the United Kingdom. The theme of the meeting, […]

Nigeria’s 2019 General Elections: A Postscript
by Ukoha UkiwoThe expectation of free and fair elections was dampened by the perception among some observers of bias by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), whose neutrality had been a key factor in the success of the 2015 elections.
Empowering Kenyan Voices in Peacebuilding Discourse Through Talk Radio
by Joyce OmwohaThere can be no peace without development and no development without peace. Report of the UN Secretary-General, September 2013 As the media strives to uphold freedom, independence, and professionalism in a digitalized media environment, the world comes together on February 13 every year to mark World Radio Day. On this day, we celebrate the unique […]

2019 Presidential Elections in Senegal: Reflections on a West African Model-Democracy and the Challenge of Decolonization
by Amy Niang and Aboubakr TandiaPerhaps the most defining issue of the election was the debate about decolonization, a first in the history of postcolonial Senegal.

The Waning Foreign Policy Influence of Tanzania under President Magufuli
by Nicodemus MindeTanzania’s post-independence foreign policy was modeled on “liberation diplomacy.” As a result, the country and its leadership have played a critical role in regional and continental affairs.

Ethiopia’s Political Transition at a Crossroads
by Asebe Regassa DebeloAuthorities should adopt a participatory and transparent approach in demarcating the boundary between Oromia and Addis Ababa, and in renegotiating relations between the regions and the political center within the country’s federal framework.

Renegotiating Gender during Fieldwork in Conflict-Affected Settings: Overcoming Some Challenges
by Abosede Omowumi BabatundeDespite the ethical challenges that conflict settings pose, conducting fieldwork in such places provides great opportunities to generate data essential for designing post-conflict peacebuilding activities.