Conflict Trends - Volume 2000, Issue 4, January 2000

The year 2000 is behind us, and at this stage, it would be good to reflect on some of the lessons this first year of the twenty-first century has taught us in our endeavours to resolve Africa's many conflicts. The resurgence of violent conflict between RENAMO and FRELIMO in Mozambique, underlines the fact that peace is not merely the cession of armed hostilities, and that unless root causes are addressed, a return to violence becomes highly probable.

Extracted from text ... 3 Conflict Trends spoke to Mr Vasu Gounden, Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD about the prospects for peace on the continent INTERVIEW BY SEAN CALLAGHAN Conflict Trends: What are the prospects for peace on the continent? Vasu Gounden: Our continent continues to be plagued by protracted conflicts in Angola and Sudan. In addition, we are witnessing a multi- country conflict in the Great Lakes region on an unprecedented level. These conflicts and others that continue to plague must be seen against the backdrop of peace agreements that have been reached in Mozambique and South Africa and more recently in Sierra Leone, Somalia and the Ethiopian- Eritrean conflict. These peace agree- ments are complimented by free and fair multi- party ..

Much of the human tragedy that the world witnessed in the latter part of the twentieth century occurred in Africa, where most of the wars and huge human suffering far outweighed any positive development. Indeed, Africa became a hub of conflict that raged on for years and many of the conflicts seemed to be without an end.

Extracted from text ... 8 reforming the kingdom Pressure is mounting on the monarchy to implement wide sweeping changes BY REBECCA STEINMANN DEMOCRACY TOM MIHALEK/AFP The Kingdom of Swaziland stands alone as the only single- party monarchy on the conti- nent of Africa. Five years after achieving inde- pendence in 1968, King Sobhuza II put in place a system of government that combined traditional and Western styles of governance. Since that time, pressure to create a more democratic climate in Swaziland has come from both inside and outside the country. Labour bodies have pressured the government to liberalise labour laws, and political parties have pushed for a multi- party system of governance. These calls for reform have prompted King Mswati III - King Sobhuza's successor ..

The Ivory Coast was the most stable country in West Africa until 1999. Former president Houphouet, who was in power for 30 years after the country gained independence, allowed into the country those immigrants who would contribute to its prosperity. However, a number of political observers blame his successor, former president Bedie, for causing division within the country and for showing preference for Ivorite descent.

Extracted from text ... 12 The impact of HIV/ AIDS on the security of African states cannot be ignored BY LINDY HEINECKEN FEATURE HOWARD BURDITT/REUTERS aids the new security frontier Never before - not even when the bubonic plague ravaged Europe in the Middle Ages - has there been a disease as devastating to mankind as the current HIV/ AIDS pandemic. Unlike many other diseases, HIV/ AIDS does not kill the young and old. Instead, it targets primarily those who are in the prime of their lives, those who are often in occupations vital to the economic development and stability of their nations. As the twentieth century drew to a close, about 33,6 mil- lion people were living with HIV/ AIDS. The United ..

The constant intra- and interstate conflicts which have characterised some African states, have had profound effects on the community as a whole, and insufficient attention has been given to the effect of conflict on women. Women are deeply affected by conflicts which they have had little or no role in creating. Women's interests have been neglected by the peace-making process, which has resulted in male-centred approaches to peace and security in Africa. The African continent has experienced, and is still experiencing, very high levels of conflict, especially intra-state conflict.

Extracted from text ... 21 The African Journal on Conflict Resolution calls for research papers by leading African academics JOURNAL BY J. GERWEL & J. MALAN a call for papers The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) is commit- ted to render its services in more than one way. In addition to all the work done by the ACCORD team as practitioners and trainers, there is also a specific focus on promoting academic work and research. This dual but interrelated orientation is reflected in ACCORD's publications. A colour- ful, reader- friendly and topical magazine, Conflict Trends, has been published since. Various Occasional Papers and other publications have already appeared, and since the end of 1999 also an academic journal, The African ..

The realisation of the African renaissance will require a rapid transformation of the status quo, which sees the arc of crisis on the continent stretching from Angola to the Upper Nile Basin. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) lies at the vortex of the continent's conflict zone, with six neighbouring countries and at least three rebel groups having been drawn into what has become Africa's largest battlefield.

Extracted from text ... 24 The past decade has seen a growing movement for democracy in north Africa DEMOCRACY BY F. GERHARD WOLMARANS ABDELHAK SENNA/AFP north african democracy For a long time the whole of the Maghreb was not associated with democracy, neither in terms of its political institutions, nor in terms of its political culture. This picture has, however, started to change since the early 1990's. At the end of the 1980's, a period of transition to democracy was initiated in the countries of the Maghreb region in North Africa. This occurred in response to pressures for social emancipation and political renewal. This movement gathered momentum fol- lowing the end of the Cold War, as well as the end of the ..

Contemporary theories of war have been compelled to provide explanations for armed conflicts that have become intractable and protracted. The study of 'war economies' is a recent development which attempts to provide an understanding and explanation of the political economy of protracted armed conflicts that are predominantly intra-state. The main objective of this study is to determine the capacity of the warring actors in developing countries - particularly those in Africa - to raise the required revenue to sustain a conflict following the decline of Cold War military and financial support.

Extracted from text ... 34 ACCORD responds to early warning signals of political conflict to Malawi 's elections BY S. CALLAGHAN & S. MAKHUBU preventive Action UPDATE. ACCORD hosted a Conflict Prevention Seminar in Malawi during the run- up to local government elections. An analysis of the political situation highlighted rising tension between the two opposition parties - Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) - and the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF). This followed accusations by the opposition that the UDF was planning to rig the polls with the assistance of the Electoral Commission. 'Based on our tracking and analysis of political events in Malawi, we felt it necessary to engage the various stakeholders in constructive dialogue, ' said Sizwile Makhubu, programme manager ..

On 29 October 2000, presidential and parliamentary elections took place on the mainland of Tanzania, as well as on the islands of Zanzibar. Only minor irregularities were reported during the mainland elections and independent observers described the mainland vote as being generally free and fair. On the islands, however, tensions emerged both before and after the elections, and international observers described them as 'a failure and a shame to democracy'. There were two main parties that contested for the presidency and parliamentary seats on the islands: the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), with Amani Abedi Karuma running for president; and the Civic United Front (CUF), with Seif Sharif Hamad running for the presidency.

Extracted from text ... 38 Conflict Trends spoke to the United Nations Secretary- General for Peacekeeping, Mr Gu?henno INTERVIEW BY KWEZI MNGQIBISA Conflict Trends: There are a number of peace- keeping training initiatives in Africa that aim to build the capacity of militaries to undertake peace operations on the continent. Are there any steps that can be taken in the foreseeable future to stan- dardise training? Mr Gu?henno: Member states are responsible for training the troops they contribute to UN peace- keeping. However, it is the job of the training unit in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) to set standards and provide curricula guidelines. This responsibility includes offering assistance to member states through their own evaluations of troop readiness. The training unit also ..

It is often asserted that we live in a globalising world and that our planet increasingly represents a 'global village'. Witness the increasing prominence of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in national economies, or the rise of such regional blocs as the European Union, the Association of South East Asian Nations, or the Economic Community of West African States. In essence, globalisation is characterised by convergence at the socio-cultural, political and economic levels.