Challenges to Peace and Security in Africa

I was able to attend a conference on the challenges and opportunities for conflict prevention in Africa. Taye-Brook Zerihoun, the UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Professor Muna Ndulo, Law Professor at Cornell University were the two main presenters at this conference. Both understand the role of history in the security situation in Africa and see it as significant but not as bad as it was in the 1990s or early 2000s.

Zerihoun's believes Africa's security crisis stems from colonialism and the drawing up of the borders by those European colonizers. From this history, African rulers consolidate power because this is their memory of rulers when they were young. Although there may be elections in African states, it is usually winner-takes-all, with no tyranny of democracy in place (Tyranny of democracy means that the loser in elections is fine with losing and does not contest the elections). The borders have exacerbated ethnic rivalries because tribes and resources have been split up between countries, rendering it harder for leaders to create a national identity or utilize their resources effectively for the entire population. This is also due to corruption and greed on the part of African rulers, but this is the way power is exercised in Africa. There is no transparency in the government nor is there recourse for opposition parties to express themselves. Any peaceful methods of replacing leaders are not accepted and often ignored in Africa. A case in point is the recent "election" in Cote d'Ivoire.

Zerihoun also blames international organizations, including the UN for faulty peace keeping operations and believes that the African Union and the UN need more of an equal relationship, whereas the UN will be seen as a more legitimate institution in African affairs. As the African Union lacks political will to carry the burden of peace and security in Africa, the AU and UN need to work together to combat the security problems within Africa. Specifically with elections in Africa, as they are a significant source of conflict and if there is UN presence (rather than just other African observers) during elections, then the process may be seen as more free and fair.

Ndulo came out stating that there are 4 causes of conflict in Africa: 1) authoritarian rule 2) exclusion of minorities from government 3) social/economic dilapidation 4) weak state structures. There needs to be a focus on democratic values in Africa, which will help resolve these sources of conflict. States (read 'ones in power') accumulate wealth and redistribute this wealth to cronies and family members. Money is not utilized for infrastructure projects, economic or social development. Thus to gain relief, the mechanisms of government need to be recreated, so that corruption and nepotism are stamped out. Further, government must be inclusive, protect the rights of its constituents, and understand that conflict is present in society and try to find ways to alleviate it. Particularly with the issue of gender, all Africans need to see the role of women not just as an inclusion to society but see it as a broadening and the transforming of African policy, ideology, and institutions. African society itself must be given more outlets for participation, which in turn should bring effective change to the security situation. When the pressure and emphasis is put on leaders to create change and hence, peace, they tend to hold the situation hostage, trying to gain something for themselves rather than gain something for the entire country.

These were the main recommendations presented by Zerihoun and Ndulo. Of course the real problem is the actual implementation of these recommendations. Implementation will only occur with a cultural shift in governance and leadership in Africa (many have said this). But how to bring this shift about remains to be seen. Education is not enough, because in many African countries, the state is the main employer and corruption is the name of the game. It does not pay to be an honest politician in a corrupt political system because it is a lose-lose outcome for the honest guy. All other politicians come out ahead because they work the system to their advantage, leaving those few honest politicians to whither away as they cannot push through any of their projects due to a lack of political will power on the part of the government as a whole. Yet these honest politicians are needed in Africa, they are the ones that can begin to shift the political paradigm toward a more democratic system. It is just that these politicians need to unite and secure backing by the international community, who would need to turn away from their economic interests and support social/political change. Of course, this is easier said than done.