Conflicts whether intra or inter-state remain one of the most devastating occurrences of human experiences due to the negative consequences associated with violent conflicts, wars and insurgency. The loss of lives, human suffering, poverty and its associated effects are catastrophic in character. Recent conflicts such as the one in Tigray region, Ethiopia and many other parts of the continent reveal the immediate need to silencing guns. Its therefore important to critically examine the African Union’s ‘Africa Road map to silencing guns’ by 2020.
There are fundamental and critical questions to ask but more equally important is the question as to whether this ambitious target has been achieved in 2020. For instance, it’s important to interrogate what conflict resolution entails and how African conflict resolution can be attained; identify challenges that hinders the implementation of the Africa road map to silencing guns in Africa as well as assess how the continued armed conflicts in Africa are undermining the realization of human and political security.
Important to note is that, African roadmap to silencing guns in Africa by the year 2020 remains a very strategic plan for improving peace and stability in Africa. It stipulates the use of collective measures for all member states to avoid interests and power of single actors and yet, it requires an asserted/ collective effort to peace talks and agreements. However, this plan is still faced with a number of challenges which include the influence of the major actors, allies and their roles that have been the major hindrances towards the roadmap to silencing guns in Africa. Moreover, lack of political will, the low commitment and support of AU member states and the low commitment and political will of African states remains vastly a major encumbrance to the attainment of that goal.
It is further critical to note that the continuous armed conflict in Africa is undermining the realization of human security in a way that it fosters inequality in human development in Africa, it also undermines gender equality which continue to remain a major challenge and is also the leading cause of poverty among countries on the African continent.
Well known conflicts by non-state actors include the Tuareg separatist and jihadist insurgencies in Mali, Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria, jihadist and militia insurgencies in Burkina Faso, al-Shabaab in Somalia, and the ethnic war in the Central African Republic. Meanwhile, Civil conflicts remain in countries such as Libya, South Sudan, Sudan, Cameroon and Ethiopia to mention but a few.
Scholars have argued that roadmaps have become popular in recent African efforts to mediate and resolve armed conflicts. The African Union (AU) singly, or in concert with Regional Economic Communities (RECs) such as; the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), East African Community (EAC), Southern African Development Community (SADC), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), and international actors, has invoked roadmaps as mediation and conflict resolution templates in Africa’s regions and countries such as Darfur, Sudan; Libya; Côte d’Ivoire; Madagascar; and North-South Sudan.
Although roadmaps are growing in significance, there is very little understanding of their usefulness and efficacy in peacemaking. This is why it is important to understand whether road maps are pathways to peace, security and stability or simply rhetorical tools that conceal the difficulties of negotiating protracted conflicts.
More critically, therefore, is determining whether road-maps facilitate or foreclose conflict resolution. Both as process and content tools. Road-maps exemplify new collective African approaches to conflict resolution, but they also face severe constraints in managing conflicts that are characterized by deep divisions.
The continuing insecurity, instability, disruption of political harmony, erosion of social cohesion, destruction of the economic fabric and public despondency in various parts of Africa call on the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union to play a locomotive role in spearheading strategic interventions to put this sad situation to an end. Most crises and violent conflicts in Africa are being driven by poverty, economic hardships, violation or manipulation of constitutions, violation of human rights. Others include the existence of mineral resources, exclusion, inequalities, marginalization and mismanagement of Africa’s rich ethnic diversity, as well as relapses into the cycle of violence in some post-conflict settings including external interference in African affairs.
In line with the Agenda 2063 and the overall AU vision of building a peaceful, stable, secure integrated and prosperous Africa, the PSC convened a retreat that was dedicated to the theme: ‘Practical Steps to Silence the Guns in Africa by the Year 2020’ from 7 to 9 November 2016, in Lusaka, Zambia. The retreat regrouped the PSC member states, representatives of Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), the AU Commission, Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms for Conflict preventions, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) and other stakeholder groups to deliberate on the future of Africa in preventing conflicts.
Agenda 2063 provides that, “…in order to achieve sustainable conflict prevention and resolution, a culture of peace and tolerance must be cultivated and nurtured in our children and youth, among others, through peace education”. Furthermore, in its first ten years implementation plan, Agenda 2063 stresses the imperative of ending all wars, civil conflicts, gender-based violence, disrespect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, prevention of violent conflicts and genocide, as part of Africa’s collective efforts to silence the guns in the continent by the year 2020.
Guided and inspired by the clarion Declaration adopted by the AU Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa on 26 May 2013, the AU Peace and Security Council among other aspects, expressed their determination to achieve the goal of a conflict-free Africa, to make peace a reality for all our people and to rid the continent of wars, civil conflicts, human rights violations, humanitarian disasters and violent conflicts, and to prevent genocide. They at the retreat asserted that, “We pledge not to bequeath the burden of conflicts to the next generation of Africans and undertake to end all wars in Africa by 2020”
In this regard, they undertook to:
- Address the root causes of conflicts including economic and social disparities; put an end to impunity by strengthening national and continental judicial institutions, and ensure accountability in line with our collective responsibility to the principle of non-indifference;
- Eradicate recurrent and address emerging sources of conflict including piracy, trafficking in narcotics and humans, all forms of extremism, armed rebellions, terrorism, transnational organized crime and new crimes such as cybercrime;
- Push forward the agenda of conflict prevention, peace-making, peace support, national reconciliation and post-conflict reconstruction and development through the African Peace and Security Architecture; as well as, ensure enforcement of and compliance with peace agreements and build Africa’s peace-keeping and enforcement capacities through the African Standby Force;
- Maintain a nuclear-free Africa and call for global nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy;
- Ensure the effective implementation of agreements on landmines and the non- proliferation of small arms and light weapons;
- Address the plight of Internally Displaced Persons and refugees and eliminate the root causes of this phenomenon by fully implementing continental and universal frameworks.”
The AU Agenda 2063 builds on and seeks to accelerate the implementation of past and existing national, regional and continental initiatives to ensure growth and sustainable development. The questions to how and to what extent the 2020 ambitions of silencing guns in Africa has been met against the broad overview of the silencing guns roadmap remain to be seen and critically examined.
Peace and stability are essential in development and yet, the constraints to these are often exacerbated by political leaders themselves through their actions and inactions while in power. Violent electoral politics, extensive stay in power and patronage, ethnic and political marginalization and deprivation in addition to other root causes of violent conflicts remain a major hinderances. Unfortunately, the African leaders don’t seem to act on them. The AU has been criticized as a club of dictators – a toothless Union of self-interested and aggrandizing actors. The semblance of Peace and stability is destroyed by their inept political leadership that have in many ways exacerbated violent conflicts and extremism in other parts of the continent.
Musana Jafali
Silencing Guns in Africa – is part of a 2019 research thesis that was conducted by Musana Jafali and was submitted to the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, School of Social Sciences in partial fulfillment for the award of a Masters Degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Studies of Makerere University. The main topic under investigation was “A Critical Examination of the Roadmap to Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020”
