Mediations Of Violence In Africa

Drawing on the words of African poets, singers, war veterans, and other witnesses and survivors of recent wars in Africa, this book shows how those who experienced the violence of war interpret that violence and shape and come to terms with its consequences.

"This study of successful mediation in a half-dozen violent conflicts across the African continent focuses on a hitherto neglected dimension of mediation and the motivations of the parties in conflict - and of the mediators themselves - in initiating the mediation option. The "problem" of many journalistic accounts and scholarly analyses of conflict mediation is that they detail the mediation process in full swing but have largely neglected the crucial phase of mediators' entry into the destructive and disturbing mass violence in Burundi, Rwanda, the Congo, Sudan, West Africa, and the border conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. This collaboration of renowned scholars and a practitioner in conflict management and African politics seeks to draw wide-ranging and timely conclusions on the early stages of mediation from six case studies."--BOOK JACKET.

This book builds on the overarching theme of conflict management to reflect on negotiations, mediation, and conflict resolution in Africa.

There are several definitions of conflict. Before elaborating on the definition that will guide reading, the author provides some of the definitions of conflict. Conflict is defined as derived from social beliefs and involves two or more parties who share incompatible objectives

South Africa has done much in the 15 years since the fall of apartheid to establish its leadership on the continent. It has been a constant architect of Africa's new peace and security architecture and an advocate of new diplomatic norms.

Africa today suffers from too much political unrest and violent conflict. The contributors to this edited collection recognize a missing link in efforts to foster democracy, and with it political stability and peace, in Africa's developing countries: Democracy can be sustained only where effective means for resolving citizens' disputes exist both within and outside the formal legal system. The writers whose articles appear here--scholars, practitioners, and peace advocates--present their varied knowledge of conflict and war in Africa and strategies for introducing and implementing mediation, from Sierra Leone to South Africa. This volume is a model exchange of insights and ideas in the important field of conflict resolution as applied to Africa.

In this book, Donald Rothchild analyzes the successes and failures of attempts at conflict resolution in different African countries and offers comprehensive ideas for successful mediation. The book demonstrates how negotiation and mediation can promote conflict resolution, along with a political environment that fosters development.