The May 2024 Volunteer Spotlight features Fatoumata Sossia Djire, Mali Chapter Coordinator. #WorldBEYONDWar
The increasing threats to peace in Africa
Africa is a vast continent with diverse countries, some of which are affected by conflicts. These conflicts have resulted in significant humanitarian crises, displacement of people, and loss of lives. Africa has experienced numerous conflicts, both internal and external, over the years. Some of the ongoing conflicts include the civil war in South Sudan, the insurgency by Boko Haram in Nigeria and neighboring countries Cameroon, Chad and Niger, the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the violence in the Central African Republic, and the armed conflict in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon. Arms transfers and the proliferation of illicit weapons increase these conflicts and prevent consideration of non-violent and peaceful alternatives. Peace is threatened in most African countries because of poor governance, the lack of basic social services, the absence of democracy and inclusive and transparent electoral processes, the absence of political transition, the ever-increasing exacerbation of hatred, etc. The miserable living conditions of most African populations and the lack of opportunities for young people in particular have regularly led to uprisings and protests that are often violently repressed. Nevertheless, protest movements resist, some such as “Fix our country” in Ghana have gone beyond national borders to inspire peace activists across the continent and beyond. WBW’s vision is ideally grounded in Africa, a continent long plagued by wars that very often do not interest the whole world in the same way as when other parts of the world are concerned. In Africa, wars are generally neglected and only of concern to the world’s major powers for interests other than “ending war”; so, they are often even deliberately maintained.
Whether they are in the West, the East, in Africa or elsewhere, wars cause the same damage and trauma to people’s lives and have equally serious consequences for the environment. That’s why it’s important to talk about war in the same way wherever it occurs, and to look for solutions with the same seriousness for stopping it and rebuilding devastated areas. This is the approach taken by WBW in Africa with a view to achieving a certain justice in the struggle against wars around the world.
In Africa, the first WBW chapter was established in November 2020 in Cameroon. In addition to establishing its presence in a country that has already been severely affected by the war, the chapter made it one of its objectives to support emerging chapters and expand the vision of the organisation across the continent. As a result of awareness, coaching and networking, chapters and prospective chapters have emerged in Burundi, Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Togo, Gambia and South Sudan.
WBW runs campaigns in Africa and organises peace and anti-war education activities in countries/localities where there are chapters and affiliates. Many volunteers offer to coordinate chapters in their country or city with the support of WBW’s staff. The staff provide tools, trainings, and resources to empower the chapters and affiliates to organize in their own communities based on what campaigns resonate most with their members, while at the same time organizing towards the long-term goal of war abolition.
Guy Feugap is World BEYOND War’s Africa Organizer. He is a secondary school teacher, writer, and peace activist, based in Cameroon. He has long worked to educate youths for peace and non-violence. His work has put young girls in particular at the heart of crisis resolution and awareness raising on several issues in their communities. He joined WILPF (Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom) in 2014 and founded the Cameroon Chapter of World BEYOND War in 2020. Find out more about why Guy Feugap committed to peace work.
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