Africa Up Close

From June 16-17, 2022, members of the Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding (SVNP) hosted the Regional Policy Conference, “Peacebuilding in the Great Lakes Region,” in Kampala, Uganda. The Women’s International Peace Centre (The Peace Centre), the Centre d’Etudes pour l’Action Sociale (CEPAS), the Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR-Rwanda), and the Centre for Conflict Management (CCM) of the University of Rwanda co-hosted the conference.

Rebecca, a 28-year-old South Sudanese woman living in the Nyumanzi settlement of Uganda’s Adjumani district, was at the borehole when she first heard the news of a total lockdown. Home to nearly 1.6 million refugees, Uganda had closed its schools and suspended all gatherings, movement, weekly markets, and non-essential businesses to curb COVID-19 transmission. Like the other women fetching water, Rebecca was afraid of the new virus and how quickly it could spread across the refugee settlement. However, within a few weeks their fears had changed. Rebecca and other refugee women peace mediators, who regularly resolve or refer conflict cases in the community, had received several reports of domestic violence, defilement of out-of-school girls, and family disputes over dwindling food rations during lockdown. Local council leaders and local courts were not able to take or hear cases. Refugee women could not mediate conflicts or follow up on reports of violence as this was not considered an essential service.

The May 7, 2020 United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is alarming: “An estimated 12.8 people are in need of humanitarian assistance (…) This figure represents 10 percent of the total worldwide humanitarian caseload. Those affected by this complex and widespread crisis remain exposed to (…) chronic malnutrition and epidemics, notably cholera, measles, and the Ebola virus.” The majority of people affected are in the eastern DRC’s volatile Kivu region. This situation in Kivu, according to the UN OCHA, is the consequence of a long period of insecurity and the result of continuing fighting between the Congolese Army and non-state armed groups. The region’s long-standing fragility and instability are now facilitating the spread of yet another humanitarian emergency in the DRC: the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. In short, one health emergency (COVID-19) is exacerbating another (Ebola, cholera, and measles).

President Nana Akufo-Addo surprised many Ghanaians when he announced on April 19 an end to the three-week partial lockdown imposed on the cities of Accra and Kumasi. At the time of his televised evening address—his seventh since the first two cases of COVID-19 were registered in Ghana on March 12—1,042 cases had been confirmed, with nine deaths from the disease. Hence the panic and concern that cases would skyrocket with a return to full business activity the next day, April 20. Schools were to remain shuttered, while the ban on public gatherings remained in effect.

Drought leaves dead and dying animals in Northern Kenya. Credit: Oxfam International/Brendan Cox. Source, [License: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]

Since the coming into force of the Paris Agreement in 2016, 50 of Africa’s 54 countries have signed and ratified it, while the remaining four countries have only signed it (Angola, Eritrea, Libya, and South Sudan). Scientifically, it is common knowledge that Africa is the continent most vulnerable to climate change. Non-climatic factors—such as economic strength, access to technology, and social policies—are increasingly influencing African countries’ vulnerability. Moreover, some parts of the continent are exposed to climate change more severely than others, and their level of resilience and adaptability differ. For instance, the probability of drought is higher in Southern Africa, desertification is a threat for West Africa, and East Africa faces more flooding. Despite the heterogeneous consequences, three areas of climate impact are critical for most African countries: water stress, food security, and human health. Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort at the continental level to streamline and coordinate climate policies and actions, improve weather-related information-gathering, and address chronic funding shortfalls for climate change adaptation.

The province of KwaZulu Natal, one of South Africaís most important farming areas and suppliers of water. Photo courtesy of the United Nations. 

The politics of land reform is a constant feature in the political landscape of South Africa. Historic grievances, poverty, and food insecurity combine for a potent discourse, which has led to ineffective government policy. Land reform has a clear documented impact on peacebuilding. What is less certain is its impact on successful climate change adaptation, particularly the growing problem of water scarcity. South Africa is currently suffering from its worst drought since records began and its warming climate combined with its semi-arid environment renders it prone to limitations in the water supply, which is a scarce resource that is overused by current agricultural practices. South Africa’s dualistic agricultural sector—often framed as agri-business and small-scale farmers—is at the forefront of climate change vulnerability and adaptation efforts. However, the prism of land reform continues to direct climate adaptation discourse in South Africa.

An officer of the Republic of South Sudan holds the nation’s flag during the historic Independence Ceremony. Photo courtesy of the United Nations. 

President Salva Kiir of South Sudan and rebel leader Riek Machar signed a preliminary power-sharing agreement on August 5, 2018. The deal, which returned Machar to his position as the First Vice-President, was the latest of multiple ceasefire and peace agreements in the country.

H.E. Thabo Mbeki, Former President of South Africa at a high-level policymaker discussion conducted by the Brookings Institution Africa Growth Initiative on February 17, 2016. Photo courtesy of the Brookings Institution via Flickr Commons.  

I recently commenced my research fellowship at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. I have begun navigating the research and policy landscape of the United States and discussed elements of my research with a couple of experts in Washington.

A screenshot of the front page of the Daily Nation’s website on December 18, 2016.

When terrorists attacked the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, on September 21, 2013, the country was shocked and the media was confused. The Sunday edition of one of the leading mainstream newspapers, the Daily Nation, was caught up in the confusion by publishing bold headlines and gory close-up images of a woman in pain with a blood-covered face. That coverage might have sold well, but it provoked questions on the ethics of journalism in Kenya. On social media, anger at the gory, sensationalistic coverage manifested in a campaign with the hashtag “#BoycottDailyNation.” Soon after, the Nation Media Group’s CEO Linus Gitahi apologized to the nation via Twitter and on Nation Television (NTV) for the newspaper’s poor judgment in using the photos.

The International Security Research and Outreach Programme (ISROP), of the International Security and Intelligence Bureau of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD), annually invites researchers from Canada and abroad to submit proposals to conduct contract research relevant to the Government of Canada’s international security priorities and policies. If a proposal is accepted, contractors will be paid for their services upon completion of their work in accordance with Government of Canada Treasury Board Guidelines.

The deadline for applications to the ISROP competition in 2013-2014 is 5:00 p.m. (EST), September 4th 2013.