It is a fact that real conflict transformation has not taken place in south africa. Conflict transformation in postapartheid south africa. However, eccas has recently been promoting youth participation in peacebuilding and conflict transformation initiatives. The four contributors to the conflict resolution theme are all outstanding researchers in the field of environmental decisionmaking. The challenges of leadership and governance in africa. These transformations, which include the enshrinement of a rightsbased and equalitydriven constitution, largescale reduction in poverty and improved social development across all sectors of society, emerged from the agreements reached within the long negotiation process for a political settlement. But in much of the rest of the continent we have weak. Top and ceiling of traditional peacemaking1 bishnu pathak the principal founder of the peace and conflict. However, it has already come to occupy a central place on the agenda of institutions active in the fields of development, conflict transformation and peacebuilding. Understanding africas contemporary conflicts africa portal. Such an approach to understanding the narrative dimensions of conflict is greatly needed if there is to be any possibility for conflict transformation. It is also being torn apart due to resources such as diamonds and offshore oil, with. However there seems to be little progress in using peace education for conflict transformation in kenya and available evidence is scant to robustly support the peace education conflict transformation narrative.
The strategies used by these institutions came as a result. Each conflict transformation initiative will, implicitly or explicitly, theory of how it is going to bring about a change in the conflict. The state of the art in conflict transformation berghof foundation. The case of the organisation of african unity oau marvin nii ankrah textbook politics international politics region. It is argued that in south africa conflict transformation has been especially successful in transforming the political and. Conflict resolution and peace buildind in africa as a process. Pdf conflict transformation in south africa researchgate. This study also intends to analyse the current nature of conflict in postapartheid south africa such as. South africa and conflict resolution in africa 27 that made the negotiated settlement possible do not exist elsewhere shillinger 2009, solomon 2010. Regional variations in three principal conflict trends are then presented for the central, east,west, and southern regions of.
African conflict, mediation, reconciliation, adjudication, negotiation, etc introduction in the traditional african society, conflict may generally exist whenever or wherever incompatible events occurred and may result in. In common everyday settings we expe rience social conflict as a time when a disruption occurs in the natural dis course of our relationships. To have few resources at the disposal of a colossal number of people is to direct the emergence of poverty, just as ghandi of india put it. Conflict transformation is a longterm, gradual and complex process, requiring sustained engagement and interaction. The role of sadc in managing political crisis and conflict. Conflict transformation is not just an approach and set of techniques, but a way of thinking about and understanding conflict itself. Traditionally the emphasis has been on conflict resolution and conflict management methods, which focus on reducing or defusing outbreaks of hostility. Resource based conflicts and political instability in. Rankopo university of botswana introduction traditional conflict resolution processes are part of a wellstructured, timeproven social system geared towards reconciliation, maintenance and improvement of social. Finally the third form is the taskbased conflict where.
Marshall 2005 page 2 of 28 numbers of countries experiencing any magnitude event of each of three general types of armed conflict, as well as the annual number of countries experiencing any type or magnitude of armed conflict, for further reference. Pdf the art of conflict transformation in africa researchgate. Approaches to conflict resolution, as applied to international environmental disputes, include negotiation, mediation and arbitration. Reality is that in contemporary so called new wars civilian population makes up 70 % of warrelated victims. Some of the conflicts are not only longrunning but are known to be very brutal and horrendous1. Elite conflict is normally of a low intensity but it does significantly impact on the polity. Conflict transformation and social justice international summer school programme all lectures will be held in room og. Reconciliation commission of south africa gibson 2006. Security sector reform in africa introduction the concept of security sector reform ssr has only been in currency for some 10 years. Women and conflict transformation in africa 69 are killed in warfare is plausible. Conflict transformation initiatives that aim to transform conflicts can take a forms. Human rights and conflict transformation in africa. However, when war reaches the civilian population, the proportion of female population also rises3. Conflict resolution and peace building are issues which have become very topical in debates and discussions on africa.
In his investigation of conflict resolution as conflict transformation, galtung 1995. The case of ghana and botswana kwaku oseihwedie and morena j. The attendant social and economic devastation of such conflicts have farreaching implications in the socioeconomic development of the affected countries. In their view conflict transformation is a conceptual departure in theory and practice from conflict resolution. The key means of dealing with elite demands have often been. Abstract the aim of this research is to investigate how mediation leads to conflict transformation by examining the strategies employed by peace building institutions within southern sudan. Conflict transformation by peaceful means the transcend. Thus conflict resolution and peace building processes have become very essential in solving the problem of conflicts in the continent. Potential and limits of traditional approaches in peacebuilding 433 networks who do not care about states, borders, sovereignty or territorial integrity at all. Conflict prevention, management and reduction in africa. The meeting documented in this report provided a platform for participants from lesotho, swaziland and zimbabwe to share experiences and insights on sustained intervention initiatives implemented by the centre for conflict resolution ccr, cape town, south africa, in the three countries since 2002. Conflict resolution and peace buildind in africa as a. Cigis african regional conflict management project. Conflicts based on the work process, how work is performed and obligation of team roles and responsibilities.
Gavin cawthra the role of sadc in managing political crisis and conflict introduction this research was commissioned by the friedrichebertstiftung fes as part of a wider project to ascertain how subregional organisations hereafter called regional organisations which form part of the african peace and. Before tackling conflicts in africa one should first consider conflict in general. There have recently been numerous civil wars and conflicts going in africa, some of which are still going on, including. Conflicts within the political leadership are among the most common form of political strife.
This paper aims at a critical assessment of both the potentials and limits of traditional approaches to conflict transformation in the context of contemporary violent conflicts. Youth engagement in conflict transformation in the central. This paper aims at a critical assessment of both the potentials and limits of traditional approaches to conflict transformation in the context of contemporary violent conflicts in the global south. The unending political tensions, wars and conflicts in the continent have had. As conflict emerges, we stop and take notice that something is not right. For peace transformation the conflict context has to be brought in through such measures as education and journalism. What made the negotiations in south africa to succeed was, among other things, the continuous existence of a strong state.
Johan galtungs conflict transformation theory for peaceful world. Which someone chooses to base their initiative on depends upon their analysis of the conflict. Conflict transformation goes further than conflict containment, management and resolution to include. Conflict transformation, in contrast, places a greater weight on. Pdf mediation and conflict transformation in africa. They have occurred in almost every african country throughout the postindependence period. Pdf on jul 3, 2017, chinedu thomas ekwealor and others published the art of conflict transformation in africa find, read and cite all the. For these forerunners among the transformers of conflict curle, 1990. This is not only because africa is characterised by many conflicts, but much more so due to the realization that in most cases the conflicts have negative impacts on africa s socioeconomic and political development. Angola, which has seen an estimated 500,000 people killed since 1989 and an estimated 3 million refugees. By engaging the colonial factor in african conflicts, this article seeks to understand the ineffectiveness of efforts at conflict management in overcoming the.
Wouldbe democratic factions throughout the continent find it difficult to. One track brings in the con flict worker, the dialogue tool and the transformation task. In particular, conflict transformation theory attaches great importance to middle level leaders, as they may assume a. Nonviolent resistance and conflict transformation in power. It is no doubt that the challenges of transformation and reconciliation have resulted in the changing of the character of conflict and violence in postapartheid south african society. The second form of conflict is the relationshipbased conflict, where relationships and interaction between team members are the source. Human rights and conflict transformation in africa saflii. Conflict analysis united states institute of peace.
Causes, effects and remedies bernard oladosu omisore, ph. Conflict transformation is a concept designed to reframe the way in which peacebuilding initiatives are discussed and pursued, particularly in contexts of ethnic conflict. They must also be exposed and be prepared to face the challenges of leadership in developing society. Despite numerous recent transitions to democracy in africa prompting references to an african renaissance, and a new african century, poorly managed conflict continues to haunt the continent, and defy development initiatives and projects promoting good governance dejo 2003. Methods of conflict resolution in african traditional society. He contends that underlying the conflict resolution perspective is an assumption that every conflict has a finite life and a clear end and can, therefore, be solved or declared intractable. However, women s contributions to conflict transformation in africa are ei ther largely ignored by official policymaking structures, which they therefore cannot influence, or invisible. Moreover, many current violent conflicts emerge and are carried out in the context of socalled weak or fragile or even failed states.
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