Tensions have been growing in Africa, especially in several parts, leading to concerns. As per the reports of the BBC and CNN, armed conflicts and political crises are going on in several countries in Africa. While there are armed conflicts in DR Congo, Mali, Sudan and several other countries, leading to many deaths and hundreds of thousands of displacements, and there are political tensions in Madagascar, Kenya, Nigeria and several other countries in Africa. But it remains unclear whether and how much tensions will be reduced in Africa — where conflicts are more frequent than any other region and which has been seeing a complex and contradictory political transition — in the coming weeks.
Conflicts and political crises are not new in Africa at all. Africa has been in conflict for decades and several regions including the Sahel region and countries including Nigeria and Ethiopia have seen frequent conflicts, making the region one of the most crisis-prone regions all over the world. There are power struggle-based, political and other reasons that are responsible for growing tensions in Africa that are difficult to address. Power struggle led to conflicts in several countries including Sudan and DR Congo. International influence has also been playing a vital role in the conflicts and political crises. State weakness, corruption, competition over resources and extremism have been fueling conflicts in several countries in Africa, leading to humanitarian crises.
Mediation-based and other initiatives have been helping address such concerns in Africa, the poorest region in the globe. Various actors including the United Nations, African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development and Economic Community of West African States and Regional Economic Communities and several countries have been involved in addressing tensions. While there are successful outcomes including peace accords in several countries including DR Congo, conflicts and political crises in several countries including Sudan and Burkina Faso are not yet resolved. Political parties and others including the masses have made efforts that led to the ouster of dictators or repressive regimes in several countries including Sudan, indicating a possible stability. But efforts have not brought the desired outcomes.
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This is mainly because there are gaps in the efforts — leading to the limited outcomes. Ineffective leadership, particularly from the African Union and other African organizations, insufficient resources for peacekeeping, a strained relationship between political parties and the military in several countries, a lack of coordination among the parties and the unwillingness of the parties led to the failure of the efforts. There was also a failure to address root causes like corruption, political repression, tribalism and resource competition. There is a difficulty in addressing external influence due to the national interests of such parties and a tendency to view peacebuilding as a post-conflict activity that leads to tensions in different states in Africa.
But tensions need to be addressed in Africa. Emphasizing the effective mediation of peace is vital in several countries including South Sudan, Nigeria and DR Congo. Various international and regional actors including the United Nations and the African Union can play a role especially in terms of mitigating conflicts. But strengthening the regional organizations including such as the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the Economic Community of West African States will be pivotal and more effective in dealing with armed conflicts in Africa and can bring far-reaching outcomes. Several regions including the Sahel need to be given emphasis.
But addressing the reasons for armed conflicts and political crises including the conflicts of interests, political repression and economic concerns is vital in Africa, a less developed region with limited opportunities. The governments and political parties need to do more to effectively address the challenges. But political will is vital not only to end conflicts but also to address political crises. Given that the causes of conflicts and political crises are not addressed, tensions will continue in many countries of Africa, impacting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
