<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One\nof the protracted challenges confronting Africa today is violent conflict.\nSince the independence of most countries in the region, the continent has been\na fertile ground for coups, ethnic conflicts, civil wars, organized crimes and\nterrorism. This trend has been a great impediment to the economic, political\nand social development of the continent. Realizing this, and willing to make\nthings right, African leaders committed to \u201cSilence the Guns in Africa by 2020\u201d\nat the 50th Anniversary of the African Union (AU) in 2013, also known as the\nAU\u2019s 50th Anniversary Solemn Declaration (2013). In this declaration, African\nleaders committed \u201cnot to pass the burden of conflict to future generations, so\n\u201cSilencing the Guns in Africa by 2020\u201d was adopted as one of the flagship\nprojects of the wider developmental blueprint Agenda 2063\u201d (Africa Renewal,\n2019). Following this, the AU held a\nFifth High-Level Retreat on the Promotion of Peace, Security and Stability in\nAfrica, in Arusha, Tanzania 2014. It is at this retreat that a framework of\naction was developed toward achieving a conflict-free Africa by 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nretreat provided a platform for stakeholders to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Deliberate\nand understand the nexus between underdevelopment and conflict in the continent<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Assess\nand understand contemporary security threats to the continent and<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Proffer\nlong-lasting solutions to these issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Africa already has a 50 years plan of\nsocio-economic transformation and a peaceful and secure continent known as\nAgenda 2063. It\u2019s a mother framework aimed at streamlining old and new initiatives\nboth at national, regional, and international levels towards Africa\u2019s growth\nand sustainable development. To this end, \u201cSilencing the Guns in Africa by\n2020\u201d is a short term mission of the broader Agenda 2063. The \u2018Silencing the\nGuns\u2019 campaign took off officially on 9th February 2020 at the 33rd African\nUnion summit in Ethiopia’s capital themed \u201cSilencing the Guns: Creating\nConducive Conditions for Africa\u2019s Development\u201d. According to the South African\nPresident, Cyril Ramaphosa<\/em> who\npresided at the meeting, he noted that \u201cwe will focus our efforts on conflict\nresolution across the African continent, especially those experiencing\nprotracted conflict.\u201d This is the main objective of the \u2018Silencing the Guns\u2019\ncampaign: to end all conflicts and provide mechanisms for conflict prevention,\nmanagement, resolution, and ensure sustainable development in Africa. Seven\nyears after initially committing to the \u2018Silencing the Guns\u2019 framework, Africa\nremains the epicentre of conflicts and wars globally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Major Concerns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To\nachieve the aspirations of this campaign (Silencing the Guns), the participants\nat the Fifth AU High-Level Retreat in Arusha, Tanzania, identified major\nchallenges to be put into the front burner of actions. These include the\nintractability of conflicts in Africa; the influence of actors, allies and\ntheir roles; preventing versus resolving conflict; and commitment and support\nof AU member states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Intractability of Conflicts in\nAfrica was identified as a major challenge.<\/strong> Most conflicts\nin Africa are merely managed and not resolved. This has led to the relapse of\nthese conflicts. The dimensions of these conflicts are common, thus, bringing\nback almost the same results. For example, most conflicts in Africa are civil\nwars and armed struggles caused mainly by religious, ethnic, and regional\nidentities. But at the root of these conflicts are economic and political\nconcerns. So the participants resolve to focus more on conflict resolution by\ndealing with the root causes of conflicts which most often include but not\nlimited to the structural violence of horizontal inequality, relative\ndeprivation, security needs, recognition, and distributive justice. The case of\nthe Central African Republic is a classic example of this phenomenon. The\ncountry has been engulfed in civil unrest since independence. Apart from\nvarious coups, authoritarian rulers, the country became polarized along\nreligion line with the formation of militia groups: the Muslim Seleka and the\nChristian Anti Balaka who have caused so many civilian deaths in the quest to\ncontrol the seat of power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Actors, allies and their roles in\nescalating and resolving conflicts in Africa is a great concern in the\nimplementation of \u2018Silencing the Guns\u2019 campaign<\/strong>.\nThough Africa is the theatre of conflicts and Africans are the perpetrators,\nthe influence and interference of foreign powers in the causes and course of\nconflicts in the continent cannot be overemphasized. It is based on this\ncontext that the mantra of \u2018African solutions to African problems\u2019 took centre\nstage in Vision 2020. However, the participants agreed that, in this\ninterdependent global system, Africa cannot isolate itself, but must work with\nexternal powers as partners, particularly in areas the former lacks expertise.\nThe refusal of external powers (especially the USA and NATO) to accept and work\nwith the AU roadmap to peace in the Libyan revolution has left an anarchical\npost-Ghadafi Libya. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Preventing versus resolving\nconflict are two different strategies for ending the conflict on the continent.<\/strong>\nWhile conflict prevention is a peacebuilding effort aimed at stopping conflict\nfrom occurring in the first place, conflict resolution involves strategies\naimed at ending the existing or current conflict. In light of this, therefore,\nexperts contend that Vision 2020 must be proactive rather than reactive when it\ncomes to conflict issues. It has been discovered that the AU Peace and Security\nCouncil often responds to conflicts at the crisis level when most damages have\nbeen done. The conflict between the Anglophone and the Francophone element in\nCameroon is a clear example; there has been no concrete effort at resolving it\nfrom the AU Peace and Security Council. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Incorporating early warning systems\ninto \u2018Silencing the guns\u2019 campaign is very pertinent for its success.<\/strong>\nCommitment and support of AU member states are crucial in achieving Vision\n2020. The main financial source of the AU is the financial commitment from\nmember states. Lack of prompt and constant payment of compulsory and emergency\nfinancial commitment has affected the implementation of the AU\u2019s overall\nmission. There is also the question of\npolitical will by member states to sign, ratify and domesticate \u2018Silencing the\nguns\u2019 campaign for it to be more successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The How<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To\ndiscuss the methodology on how to achieve Vision 2020, the African Union\nCommission (AUC) organized a High-Level Retreat (Durban Retreat) with the\ntitle: \u2018Silencing the Guns in Africa: Building a roadmap for a conflict-free\nContinent\u2019 on 28-29 April 2014 in Durban, South Africa. The strategies adopted\nat this retreat are highlighted below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. \n Tackling the illicit\nproliferation of small arms and light weapons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nmyriads of civil wars, ethnic strife, trans-border crimes, and terrorism in\nAfrica are made possible or facilitated by easy access to small arms and light\nweapons (SALW). According to the report, there are an estimated 30 million\nfirearms in Africa and not less than five million fatalities caused by SALW\nover the last 50 years. To achieve Vision 2020 therefore, the strategy is to\nensure that the presence of SALW in the continent is reduced to the barest\nminimum, and measures must be in place to make access to these arms very\ndifficult or even impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. \n Promoting reconciliation and\nsocial cohesion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To\nsilence the guns, the root causes of conflict must be dealt with. This can be\nachieved through promoting reconciliation and social cohesion starting from\nlocal communities to national and regional levels. The place of traditional\njustice mechanisms will feature prominently in the quest to silence the guns.\nFor example, Rwanda\u2019s Gacaca Courts proved the effectiveness of using\ntraditional mechanisms for conflict resolution and transitional justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. \n Preventing illicit resource\noutflows from Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There\ncan never be positive peace without sustainable development. And there can\nnever be development without the required human and natural resources.\nAccording to the report, US$50 billion leaves Africa illegally per annum.\nAfrican leaders are notoriously known for transferring corrupt funds to private\naccounts in the Western world. Monies that can be channeled into sustainable\ndevelopmental activities are wasted on luxuries abroad. It was also discovered\nthat corrupt monies that leave Africa outweigh the Official Development\nAssistance into Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. \n Strengthening security and\ndefense institutions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Many\nAfrican states are battling with internal conflicts that have taken their\nattention away from their continental commitment to peace and security. To\nsilence the guns, there must be a collective continental security architecture\nthat puts into consideration the peculiarity of every conflict and its context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Critique<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nAU needs to be commended for the bold and giant steps toward ensuring a\npeaceful and prosperous continent. The concerns and strategies embedded in the\n\u2018Silencing the Guns\u2019 campaign document is specific, measurable, achievable,\nrealistic, and time-bound. Nonetheless, there are grey areas the proponents did\nnot cover. These aspects that are highlighted below are very crucial and must\nbe included in the overall strategy of silencing the guns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Youth inclusion in peacebuilding<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Africa\nhas often been described as the world’s youngest continent. As of 2019, 60% of\nAfrica\u2019s population is under the age of 25. While the youth is the demography\nmostly engaged in wars, terrorism, and transnational crimes in Africa, a lot of\nAfrica’s youth are also at the forefront of conflict prevention initiatives and\nbuilding social cohesion across the continent. The African Union\u2019s (AU) African\nYouth Charter (2006) claims that Africa’s youth is its biggest resource but when\nit comes to official conflict resolution, mediation, negotiation, and overall\npeacebuilding activities, the major actors (the youth) are mostly sidelined.\nYoung people want to be in the room and also on the table. To this end,\nsilencing the guns campaign must incorporate and specify the role and concerns\nof youth. Anything less will affect the success of the campaign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Place of Women<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nrole of women has not been spelt out. Since women are one of the most\nvulnerable groups in times of violent conflicts, it is pertinent therefore to\ninclude them in the process of achieving the objectives of silencing the guns\ncampaign. Women are also known as natural peacemakers and soft in diffusing\ntensions. They must, therefore, be invited to the negotiation table in the\nquest to silence the guns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Peace versus Justice Debate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\ncampaign document is focused on transitional justice which most often\nemphasizes the need for peace through restorative justice while neglecting the\nfact that there is no peace without justice. To achieve sustainable peace,\nsilencing the guns campaign must accept and incorporate the place of criminal\njustice through collaborating with criminal justice institutions like the\nInternational Criminal Court (ICC). African dictators and warlords found guilty\nof committing crimes against humanity must be punished to serve as deterrence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tackling Unemployment and Poverty<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As\nwe focus on silencing the guns, the push factors for taking up guns must be\nalso addressed. Unemployment, poverty and lack of infrastructure in Africa must\nbe silenced as well. The 2019 Ibrahim Forum Report shows that almost 16 million\nyoung Africans, around 13.4% of the total labor force of 15-24-year-olds, are\nfacing unemployment. Silencing the guns under these structural conditions is a\ndaunting task. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Africa is not in dearth of policies and frameworks, one historical challenge confronting the continent since the days of independence is implementation. The silencing the guns campaign is a laudable initiative and one of the smartest in ensuring continental peace and security. This campaign must go beyond 2020 and must be pursued rigorously. The political will to implement is of great concern and African leaders need to rise above self-interest and work for a united, peaceful and prosperous continent. To realize the overall goal of silencing the guns campaign, multi-track diplomacy must be invoked so that all stakeholders can be involved because peacebuilding is not just for governments and multilateral institutions, but for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Written by <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rafiu Lawal and David Suntai<\/p>\n\n\n\n Building Blocks for Peace Foundation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the protracted challenges confronting Africa today is violent conflict. 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