Imagine Africa Beyond War: World BEYOND War Africa Regional Peace Conference

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 and is behind the idea of an annual regional conference, with a view to achieving a certain justice in the struggle against wars around the world. For the first time, under the auspices of the Cameroon Chapter, current and emerging WBW chapters have agreed to use this platform to ultimately put an end to war in Africa and contribute to world peace. Previously, a virtual space for learning, exchanging and creating peace projects brought together young people from Cameroon, Nigeria, South Sudan and Kenya in a WBW project. As part of the Peace Education and Action for Impact (PEAFI) project, teams from these countries worked together with young people from other countries around the world, with a total of 10 countries trained online for 6 weeks and developing and implementing peace projects over an 8-week period. Such success has led us to realise that by working together and strategising with others around the world, WBW chapters can create great opportunities to challenge the global system that institutionalises war.