Coordinated with the help of Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji, this special section highlights the most significant issue(s) in Nigeria’s 2015 general elections, to be held March 28, 2015, after a six-week postponement. As…
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Viewpoint
Reflections from Wilton Park Conference on “Peacebuilding in Africa”
by African Peacebuilding Network
Following the Wilton Park conference on “Peacebuilding in Africa: Evolving Challenges, Responses, and New Thinking,” African Peacebuilding Network staff had a chance to sit down with professor Michael Pugh and discuss his thoughts on the conference, where he thinks the continent is headed in terms of its peacebuilding agenda, and what room there can be for future collaboration between scholars and practitioners in the field of African peacebuilding.
Radar
Boko Haram’s Trajectory: Origins and Future Directions
by Gbemisola Animasawun
"[...] Boko Haram’s trajectory and the need to address the roots of home-bred terrorism assumes greater relevance as Nigeria prepares for elections in a matter of weeks. This overview provides a deeper understanding of a potent security challenge to the holding of free and fair elections in Africa’s largest democracy."
Essays
Statebuilding and Peacebuilding in Contexts of Identity-Related Conflicts: A Necessary Collaboration
by Dorcas Ettang
"It is important to ask how peacebuilding can take place when the state is perceived as biased, partisan, unfair, and favoring some groups over others. How can peacebuilding reduce violence and at the same time address injustices and improve fragile relationships when the state is directly or indirectly responsible for increasing violence, perpetuating injustices among different identity groups, and contributing to the worsening of their relationships?"
Elections & Governance
Amending the Uganda Constitution: Isn’t It Time to Rethink the Process and the Key Issues?
by Patricia Nangiro
"As Ugandans we need to push for a systematic and comprehensive overhaul of the entire constitution, which in its current form is a representation of elite interests. The new constitution must rethink governance as a never-ending process of exercising power to manage public affairs and resources in a manner that allows for equitable redistribution of benefits to all."
Research and Practice
Rethinking Models of African Peacebuilding: Lessons from Nigeria
by Chris Kwaja
"As the case of Nigeria shows the endogenous ways of managing local conflict and building peace are organically linked to the history, tradition, and culture of the African people…Indeed, a situation in which modern and endogenous methods complement, rather than displace or supplant each other, should be encouraged."
Radar
The Day the Burkinabé People Recovered Their Voice
by Amy Niang
"As political leaders scramble to capture every bit of power possible, it needs to be remembered that the impetus for change was collective anger .... For the Burkinabé people, this is a unique chance to experiment with inclusive politics that makes room for meaningful civil society input and, more importantly, an opportunity to dismantle a system of rule that enabled Compaoré to keep the country under tight control for twenty-seven years."