The politics of violence and conflict in Contemporary Africa

Abstract

The issue of violence in Africa is frequently seen merely as a problem of armed conflicts. Therefore, discussions around conflict resolution and peace enforcement normally take as their starting point the mechanisms by which such violence could be halted. However, this instrumental approach virtually leaves out any analysis regarding the deeper roots of violence. The author’s argument is that violence is rooted in the specific historical, social, political, economic and cultural context of postcolonial Africa and that the key to understanding its persistence lies in the ways in which power has been exercised on the continent since its independence. Understanding the prevalence of violence in Africa requires analyzing the reasons why, in that context, the continuation of conflict is often more ‘useful’, or ‘profitable’ than conflict resolution for many of the actors involved.