Beneficiaries are actors too.pdf - Southern Institute of Peace ...

to see the causes of conflict as going beyond the results of their
colonial past and to look at themselves as the ones to blame for
the conflicts that bedevil the continent. The nature of political
power in many African states, together with the perceived
consequences of capturing and maintaining power is a key source
of conflict across the continent. The political scenario in which the
winner takes all approach with regards to wealth, resources,
patronage and the prestige and prerogative of office has been a
major source of conflict. Such a scenario has cultivated a culture
of corruption, unequal distribution of resources and very often a
flawed electoral system. Thus where there is limited
accountability, lack of checks and balances, non adherence to the
rule of law, absence of peaceful means to change or replace
leadership, political control becomes important and the stakes
become dangerously high making conflict in most cases
inevitable. For instance the ongoing conflict in the Ivory Coast
was triggered by an electoral dispute which resulted in a civil war.
Pockets of violence as a result of electoral disputes are all too
common in Africa as there is absence of clear means of change of
leadership because of a flawed electoral process. When the state
is the major provider of employment as is often the case in Africa
and political parties are often based on tribal and ethnic lines,
multi ethnic conflicts are more likely to erupt resulting in a violent
politicisation of ethnicity (Juma, 2008).
During the cold war external efforts to bolster or undermine
African governments were a familiar feature of super powers'
constant fight for neo-colonial hegemony. With the end of the cold
war such external intervention has receded but has not
completely disappeared. In the competition for oil, mineral
resources such as diamonds, gold and other resources in Africa,
interests external to Africa continue to play a large and at times
decisive role, both in suppressing conflict and in sustaining it.
The recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia are believed to have
been caused by third forces though this remains largely a theory
which is difficult to prove. NGOs are also perceived to be agents of
external forces in some conflict situations, a claim which may not
be wholly dismissed as there are some cases where intelligence
operatives have been proven to be working undercover for some
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