PrintManaging Political Transitions in Africa
part of the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention
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Toward Resolving Chad's Interlocking Conflicts
December 2008 | Peace Briefing
The fragility of the Chadian government, as well as the fragmentation among Chadian civil society, political parties, and rebel movements, poses significant challenges that Chadian civil society, regional governments, African institutions and the international community must address with a coordinated strategy. Although the situation in the country is often examined through the lens of the Darfur crisis, several internal factors drive the instability in Chad and its regional actions.
On the Issues: Zimbabwe
July 2008| Dorina Bekoe
What are the national, regional and international consequences of recent electoral violence in Zimbabwe? What triggered the outbreak? Read more from Senior Research Associate Dorina Bekoe.
Moving Beyond Relief: The Challenges of Settling Kenya's Internally Displaced
August 2008 | Peace Briefing
This briefing by Sheila Mwiandi explores various dimensions of Kenya's post-election IDP problems, including elections-related issues prior to 2008, challenges to relocating IDPs and strategies for improving the situation.
Program Specialists
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Senior Research Associate (Africa), Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention
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Political transitions have often served as triggers of violence. This initiative aims to increase the capacity of key stakeholders to identify these triggers during political transitions, to build positive relationships among civil society, policymakers, and regional and international organizations, and to contribute to the academic and policy literature on peaceful political transitions in Africa.
Political transitions – ranging from elections to peace agreements after civil war – have often served as triggers of violence. A significant body of research shows that approximately half of all peace agreements unravel after five years, at times plunging a country into more intense violence than before. Elections, a hallmark of democracy and in many cases the culmination of a peace agreement, have been shown to be violent about 25 percent of the time. Moreover, research shows that electoral violence tends to persist as underlying causes remain unresolved; persistent electoral violence arguably reduces the consolidation of democratic norms and the prospects for long-term for durable peace and stability. Managing the conflict that accompanies political transitions is a critical factor in building strong governing institutions and creating the mechanisms for durable peace.
Goals:
• To increase the capacity of key stakeholders to identify potential triggers of violence during political transitions.
• To increase the capacity of key stakeholders to identify opportunities for reducing tension.
• To build positive relationships between civil society, policymakers, and regional and international organizations.
• To contribute to the academic and policy literature on peaceful political transitions.
This initiative includes work in several African countries:
Projects
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Sudan's elections, currently planned for February 2010, are an important milestone of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the Southern People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in 2005. The Institute's Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention and Education and Training Center-International have partnered to conduct workshops throughout Sudan in preparation for the elections. The workshops include civic education and democracy components, conflict resolution skills training, and case studies and simulations. |
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