Nairobi’s informal settlements experience a range of violence, including political, ethnic, religious, resource-related, and gender-based violence. The link between peace, development, and health is a direct one as conflicts and violence can directly impact health or cause a disruption in social and economic systems leading to a decline in health.
Essays
Essays present critical analysis and debate on a pressing issue in African peacebuilding.
Democracy, Development and Governance
Biya’s Renewed Presidency, Economic Revival, and the Anglophone Question in Cameroon
by Gabriel Ngah Kiven
Following the presidential poll on October 7, 2018, largely boycotted by the country’s English-speaking regions, Cameroon’s constitutional court declared the long-term incumbent Paul Biya of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) the winner on October 22. The official results indicated that Biya got 71.28 percent of the votes. He is currently serving his seventh term after […]
Conflict
Women in Terror: Ending Gender-Based Violence in Borno State, Northeast Nigeria
by Titilope Ajayi
The silence surrounding sexual violence in Borno makes it difficult to investigate and prosecute rapes in an environment of violent conflict. The shame and stigma associated with abuse and the preoccupation with preserving individual and family dignity, as well as the marriage prospects of abused girls and young women, prevents victims from reporting to the police.
Democracy, Development and Governance
Bolsonaro’s Victory Is Likely to See Brazil Scale down Africa Interests
Policy and Practice
Samir Amin: The Exit of an Intellectual Giant
by Said Adejumobi
Even when Marxism became unpopular after the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the fall of the Soviet Union and many leftists made a turn, either becoming centrists or moving a “little to the right,” Amin remained convinced of his ideological stance and faithful to what he believed.
Peacebuilding
Kofi Annan: In Service of the World
by Ejeviome Eloho Otobo and Oseloka H. Obaze
Kofi Annan’s contributions to peace and security were wide-ranging, encompassing efforts to discourage needless conflicts, support peace operations, create or nurture institutions for peacebuilding, and develop norms and policies to promote inclusive development.
Conflict
Down, but Not yet Out: Boko Haram and the Concept of “Technical Defeat”
by Azeez Olaniyan
The president may have correctly captured the situation in the war against Boko Haram, but the jury is still out on when “technical” defeat will result in total defeat. Total defeat can only be the result of a combination of military success and winning over the hearts and minds of sympathizers of Boko Haram’s extremist ideology.
Peacebuilding
How Rwanda is Teaching Peace Education Through Ubumuntu Conversations
by Sela Muyoka Musundi
As we close the curtain on the annual Kwibuka period here in Rwanda, the Ubumuntu Conversations have challenged those of us who attended to play our part, however small, in making the world more peaceful.
Democracy, Development and Governance
Post-Election Violence in Zimbabwe’s 2018 Election: Can a Future Recurrence Be Avoided?
by Admire Mare
This round of post-election violence has demonstrated the persistence of election-related violence in Zimbabwe. Even though President Mnangagwa has promised to appoint an independent commission of inquiry to investigate the causes of the violence, it remains to be seen how this will prevent a future recurrence.