"Press freedom is an important element of the democratization process. The freedom to report critically and question decisions promotes transparency and accountability and helps build robust, open, and democratic institutions .... Increased media freedoms and citizens’ access to information are essential to attaining these goals and consolidating democratic governance and political stability."
"This essay summarizes the conclusions drawn from a study funded by the African Peacebuilding Network of the Social Science Research Council. It seeks to explore the ways in which ex-combatants make the transition from the use of violence to peace. These conclusions challenge the view that ex-combatants have continued to be violent in post-apartheid South Africa, and they establish that, even though ex-combatants have held onto their military skills, they are peaceful citizens."
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 Africa’s largest democracy prepares for the polls, several questions must be answered: What do these elections portend for the country in the face of domestic demands for solutions to problems of unemployment, inequality, the marginalization of minorities, and growing insecurity, and Nigeria’s role within West Africa and the rest of the continent? What implications will the elections likely have for national stability and development in Africa’s largest economy? And what do the elections portend for the country’s relations with its neighbors, the West, and emerging powers?
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.
"It is debatable whether all the effort, time, and resources invested in the establishment of the ASF (and the ACIRC) have resulted in any real impact on Africa’s capacity to 'own' its own peacekeeping and peace support forces and processes. While an African standby force may improve the AU’s capacity to quell violent conflict, it is by no means a major determinant for the success of its peace operations."
"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?"
