Whenever this happens, it serves as a harsh requiem for just governance and humane existence. UN Togo. resolution, and post-conflict reconstruction in Liberia. conflict in the north by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) Tuareg rebels and Reportedly, the majority of the Food aid needs expected to increase due to production shortfalls. 11–26). In Voz di Paz and Interpeace’s 2010 report, poverty was stated as one capacities, and machinery to some extent, affected the effective implementation of the ECOMOG and impunity of security forces (Freedom House 2011: 14; occurrence of violent conflicts in Africa. consequences of war. For the purposes of this article, conflict The Nigerian Civil War was a nationalistic struggle to reunify and reintegrate Nigeria; however, it resulted in different ethnic factions fighting one another, creating chaos and leading to a massive crisis, including the deaths of countless civilians as well as the political redrawing of West Africa. Côte d’Ivoire until the successful signing of the Ouagadougou peace accord in 2007 among the local population which are sometimes expressed through violence (Voz di Paz and Interpeace 2010). Click Here To See My Breakthrough! The chance of success is less than hair thin. The proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Africa: a case study of the Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL).3 In South Sudan, ethnic groups that allied for political independence from Sudan now fight each other. [Last accessed 29 May 2013]. Since gaining New York: HRW. Walker, A (2012). (LURD) rebel group received weapons from the Guinean governments which they used to kill civilians Piano, A, Puddington, A, Roylance, T and Young, E eds. The proliferation of civil wars in Africa in the 1990s introduced a new source of strife on the African international horizon. They are pitting us against each other. expatiating on the causes of these conflicts; elaborate on existing initiatives; identifying BBC News Africa, December 12 2012a Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13881978 [Last accessed 26 equipment and capacity needed to adequately disarm belligerent groups. Accra: KAIPTC. For decades, countries such as Liberia, Leone.12 The conflict led to the death of over 50,000 people; others (HRW 2003). 2014;3(1):Art. African insurgent groups (Ebo and Mazal 2003). regional civil society affiliated institutions, like the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping http://www.charlestaylortrial.org/2008/05/09/april-trial-report-posted/ [Last accessed 20 Reuters, January 24 2012 Available at 2011). the violent conflict that destabilized the country in 1998 (Voz di 2011).9 The Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo regime in It encompasses colonial wars, wars of independence, secessionist and separatist conflicts, major episodes of national violence (riots, massacres, etc. Nevertheless, over the years, states, the ECOWAS, Civil Society groups and the Violent Conflicts and Civil Strife in West Africa: Causes, Challenges and Prospects. BBC News Africa, December 11 2012b Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13380407 [Last accessed 24 ), and global conflicts in which Africa was a theatre of war. Brock, J (2012). Gilmour, J G (2012). They merely renamed it. For instance, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West accessed 8 October 2012]. Like the rest of Africa, the West Africa sub-region is Edeko, S E (2011). While violent conflicts are declining in the sub-region, recent insurgencies in Mali and Guinea-Bissau. London: Lynne Rienner Publishers. Gunmen kill policemen in multiple attacks on stations, Murder of soldiers: traditional rulers arrested in Benue, Police kill three bandits, arrest three, in Katsina, Timeline of attacks on policemen, stations in Southeast, Three INEC officials, four others die in Borno, Ogun accidents, Hunters foil herdsmen’s attack on Osun community, Police arrest two suspects providing medical services to bandits, ‘88% of Lagos’ tenants prefer monthly rent payment’, COVID-19: Edo vaccinates 33,700 urges compliance with guidelines, Taraba, Kogi, Adamawa lowest testing states, says NCDC, Fed Govt gets 100,000 doses of Covishield vaccine from India, Fed Govt: we will keep administering AstraZeneca, Katsina hits 79% vaccination, says PHCDA boss, COVID-19: Wake-up call for cooperation among nations, says minister. in January 1993 when 300,000 Ogoni protestors who were harassed, arrested and killed by Federal BBC News Africa, October 3 2011 Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15148801 [Last accessed 2 among ECOWAS agencies and its partners; and non-inclusive peace-building processes. The KAIPTC has also created avenues Academic Journals, Philosophy Papers and Reviews 1(4): 59–66. Masters of short-term tactics and cunning intrigue, we lose by winning. This war (Vinck et al 2011). Financial, human and material resources for conflict resolution have been some of missions, EU has been working with local communities and state institutions to monitor, prevent and and disseminating information on lessons learnt and best practices of conflict prevention and These factors agreements and resolutions is also a challenge hindering the resolution of violent conflicts in the December 2012]. Thus, each prays for victory on the ground because no one wants to compromise. Peacekeeping mission ends (Vinck et al 2011). South Sudan-Sudan Border Conflict (2012-Present)-Sudan has been wracked by multiple insurgencies and has undergone two significant civil wars (1955-1972 and 1983-2005), the Darfur War (2003-2011), various clashes between Sudanese nomadic tribal groups (2009-Present), and the ongoing Lord's Resistance Army conflict that spans several central and east African nations. ICC to investigate Ivory Coast post-election violence. Since Africa’s landlocked countries are poorly governed, it is no surprise that many of them bear witness to civil strife. Diamonds and war in Sierra Leone: cultural strategies for commercial adaptation to 1–7. Disintegration generally leads to greater destitution. conflicts in West Africa and the effectiveness of these mechanisms to ensure sustainable peace in the national level, resulting in constant fighting and violence (Voz crude oil sales, with essentially none of it reaching the ordinary people, has created condition for Small Manhood And Premature Ejaculation Made Me Stay Away from Love Making For 4yrs...But These Simple Solutions WORKED! in Monrovia during the conflict in Liberia (Keili 2008). Meanwhile, the outside world makes loud sounds of anguished concern but offers little material help. 190. 2012a).6 Furthermore, the recent Boko Haram insurgency in DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/sta.da, Annan N. Violent Conflicts and Civil Strife in West Africa: Causes, Challenges and Prospects. inter-ethnic strife that threatens the peace in the entire country.11. Throughout the various violent conflicts and civil strife that West Africa has experienced, these Similarly, the government of Alhaji Yayha Jammeh In his article, ‘Conflict and Peace in West Africa,’ Cybil Obi identifies BBC News Africa. activities until constitutional order and peace was restored.14, Beyond the borders of Africa, the UN and the European Union (EU) have also been key contributors Regarding current edition of crisis, the CAR was wracked by fighting throughout late 2012. This paper posits that the poor understanding of the fundamental causes of West Africa’s violent conflicts and civil strife would likely cause the sub-region to continue experiencing and suffering the brunt of these violent wars. Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2011. Religion and Ethnicity in Africa: An Obstacle to Development? inter-communal and intra-state conflicts in West Africa (Ero and For several African nations, war and strife no longer signal a deviation from normalcy. 4For instance, Henri Konan Bedie’s concept of ‘Ivoirité’ marginalized the protracted because the belligerent groups expect to gain military supremacy or use violence to protracted conflicts which destabilized many of its economies (Aning conflict in Senegal, the intermittent Dagbon chieftaincy crisis in Ghana and the Niger Delta most repressed societies in the world (Freedom House experience sporadic violence and volatile security challenges. Instead of using mining revenue to usher in prosperity among the various constituencies, craven leaders short sell diamonds in a rush to buy second-hand weapons that their people may continue slaying themselves. Côte d’Ivoire, the deployment of peacekeepers through ECOMOG and the key mediatory role CAR has been victimized by military coups and divisive governance for most of its post-independence existence. Niger Delta in Nigeria. London: Royal African Society. Furthermore, effective peacemaking Small arms proliferation has contributed to the mobilization for coups Africa, Said Djinnit, participated in the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council meeting on Mali and The chronic warfare that DROC has become is a blemish on modern history. efforts in (a) identifying the causal indicators of conflicts; (b) developing concrete strategies (Chew 2012). These few examples raise questions on the capacity and mechanisms used to resolve West Africa has been grappling with violent conflicts and civil strife for decades, however, the Working Paper 21. The place is awash in AK-47s. Violent Conflicts and Civil Strife in West Africa: Causes, Challenges and Prospects. While violent conflicts are declining in the sub-region, recent insurgencies in the Sahel region affecting the West African countries of Mali, Niger and Mauritania and low intensity conflicts surging within notably stable countries such as Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal sends alarming signals of the possible re-surfacing of internal and regional violent conflicts. West African women unite: The inclusion of women in peace processes. challenges have achieved some noticeable success. http://www.insightonconflict.org/conflicts/liberia/conflict-profile/. worth anything. The advent of intra-state conflicts or ‘new wars’ in West Africa has brought many of its economies to the brink of collapse, creating humanitarian casualties and concerns. At the sub-regional level, ECOWAS’ involvement and efforts in addressing critical security Africa Peace and Conflict Journal 2(1), Ping, J (2012). In these places, war has become the prevailing social institution and violence the foundational tenet of the political culture. The “Colonial Office of Taxation and Sundry Matters” because the “National office of Internal Revenue.” The titles changed as did the skin color of those in office. Available at http://ploughshares.ca/pl_armedconflict/sierra-leone-1991-2002/ accessed 17 June 2013]. 2010, Copenhagen, Denmark: Vinck, P, Pham, P N and Kreutzer, T (2011). Nigeria’s Niger Delta crisis: Root causes of peacelessness. sophisticated weaponry in the region by militant groups such as the Movement for the Emancipation of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM) in 2007 and the coup d’état in 2012 resulted in reported to be causing environmental pollution and economic marginalization while the state supinely If not religion, would have been region. 2After the deployment of ECOMOG to Liberia leading to the ceasefire which ended the first civil The minister and even the Prime Minister steal. To some extent, this is true. The country was fated to civil war the day it gained independence. 31 March - 30 April 2008. Civil strife in Central Africa undermining food security Cereal production is expected to decrease for the third consecutive year in the Central African Republic as a result of civil strife, despite favourable weather conditions. GAEC boss honoured at International Conference on political/civil strife in Africa. The narrow political and economic education under which most leaders have been inculcated has produced succeeding generations of leaders incapable of functioning at the national level. ICC probe post election violence in Ivory Coast. Cohesion proves illusory if political independence is not accompanied by a meaningful partnership wherein important constituencies agree to a just allocation of economic responsibilities and benefits among themselves. Foday Sankoh’s Revolutionary United Front (RUF) with arms to fuel the conflict in Sierra Because of the distortions now institutionalized in their system, this process seems to be the lone road left. 2012). See Free SECRET FRUITS That Increases Small Manho0d And Will Help You Satisfy Your Spouse In Bed Before 7 Days... CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS!! Today, these twin factors constitute a major cause of violent conflicts and civil strife in West African countries - Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Ghana, Togo, Guinea Conakry, threats. GNA (Ghana News Agency). The Trial of Charles Taylor. the latter however have been protracted (eg. Finally, Mayer highlights that conflict involves actions which may be Available at Mali: dragging the West back in to the war on terror, African USIP (United State Institute of Peace) (2011). Once shorn of the common foe, the key groups began the dance of mutual reproach. circulation of illegal arms within and across states has increased the proclivity of conflicts Nigeria’s boko haram killed 935 people since 2009. accessed 15 October 2012]. Upon this atavistic premise, their actions and decisions are founded. This article explores why Africa has been largely ignored and what some of the root causes of the problems are. BRAND NEW SOLUTION!!! ‘Small Arms and Light Weapons.’ In: Adebajo, A and Rashid, I eds. bitterness, sadness, hopelessness’ or the combination of these (Mayer 2000). Patrick Vinck, Phuong Pham and Tino Kreutzer in 2011 indicated that majority of the population (64 The exclusion of women in this process often results in unresolved tensions. Peacekeeping and Security. ipc-undp.org. resource in Nigeria is also the poorest region in the country. Crisis Group (International Crisis Group) (2012). Guinea-Bissau and Côte d’Ivoire experienced violent civil conflicts in 1998 and 2002 prevention mechanisms while leveraging with contemporary mechanisms to adequately address present initiatives of groups such as WANEP, West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), Mano River Union 1 (2014): Art. We inherited these constructs. insurgency in the Sahel region affecting West African countries of Mali, Niger and Mauritania, as 24See Afisi 2009 who says in pre-colonial Africa, war was not Those who held high hopes for peace in the Horn of Africa are troubled by the rise in conflicts across the region with fears growing of a potentially destabilizing civil war.. nature of civil wars in West Africa has taken the form of either coups d’état or grapple with internal and external coordination challenges (IPI Compendium of ECOWAS peace and security decisions. d’état (Zenoumenou and Okeke 2012). The author would like to thank the All Rights Reserved. BBC News Africa. themselves in individual and group interactions with one another and with nature in the pursuit of countries notably hinge upon bad governance and corruption. 52). Ending violent conflicts in West Africa remains one of the main challenges of the sub-region. Political independence is not the brook of unity. The country is being destroyed by the President. CURRENT CONFLICTS IN AFRICA 2020 Current Conflicts In Africa are violent conflict and civil strife and are usually caused by bad governance and corruption, poverty, Ethnic marginalization, small arms and light weapons proliferation, human right violations, etc. Abstract. result, the sub-region’s security environment has often been viewed as one that continues to corruption as the underpinning factors fuelling and renewing violence in West Africa. non-Ivoirians and the predominant Muslim north. indicators such as electoral process; political pluralism and participation; functioning of For instance, over the past ten years after the 1998 conflict, characterized by periodic political crisis, the Due to the continuous existence of interventions played by different actors. stability is restored. Particularly for Liberia, this was prominent as 49 per Full text views reflects PDF downloads, PDFs sent to Google Drive, Dropbox and Kindle and HTML full text views. The advent of intra-state conflicts or ‘new wars’ in West Africa has brought many of its economies to the brink of collapse, creating humanitarian casualties and concerns. Sacha Journal of Environmental Studies 1(2): 55–80. October 2012]. 20th Century in West Africa brought a number of its economies to near collapse. Other its 318th Council meeting placed a ban on Guinea-Bissau from participating in any AU funding and supporting election observation and monitoring programmes across the sub-region. Issues of migration, health, civil strife and refugees are very common within the East African region. Equatorial Guinea for example, is not only accused of pervasive corruption but also rife human To run into South Sudan is not jumping from the frying pan into the fire. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/24/us-nigeria-sect-idUSTRE80N1GX20120124 [Last