Regional Summary: Africa

Read more about this region in Wikipedia.

Active Countries in the Region Include:

• Burundi
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Ghana
• Northern Uganda (Uganda, East Africa)
• Sierra Leone
• Uganda

  Burundi

Summary of Activities

Giving the youth in Schools, churches and communities an opportunity to play an important role in building a better society and World in which all of us can live in peace and not in pieces, is very important for any community and nation. This is being done by Youth for a New World in partnership with JRMD, by connecting them with other youth around the World, through internet and writing to each other. Helping them grow in character, through Compassion and Love in Action. Feel more joy, closer to each other despite where they are or come from; feel like each has made a contribution to the society and community. This helps them to know about their different cultures and perspectives of life in general due to their different regions and environments.

The schools involved in AAX in USA, they raised some funds which enabled us to give to each school in Burundi, involved in AAE, around $350. This amount of money helped the schools in Burundi to purchase some school materials, for the benefit of the students, involved in the project. Until this time, the schools involved in this project, in Burundi are located in Bujumbura City and in USA they are based in Washington State.

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  Democratic Republic of Congo

Summary of Activities

There is a newly created Roman Catholic Institution for Peace Education in Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Institution is higher education from undergraduate to honors. The Institution is the first for peace education. The Central Africa Conflict Prevention Association (CACOPA), based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is applying their peace education modules to the realities of the country, the continent and the world. There is no specific documentation in French for Peace Education at the higher level. We are trying to translate the different readings to organize our modules. Currently, we are trying to get the government involved in the Peace Programme.

Legislative and Policy Initiatives:

CRE Resources:

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  Ghana

Summary of Activities

For a summary of CRE activity in this area please review the (now rather dated) OCDRCM website profile for this country.

Legislative and Policy Initiatives:

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  Northern Uganda (Uganda, East Africa)

Summary of Activities

Origin of Northern Uganda Conflicts:
Uganda with a population of 27.4 million has been embroiled in a civil war in the north for over 20 years. The conflict begun in 1986, when the Acholi ethnic group of northern Uganda formed an anti-governmental movement against the Government of Uganda
(GoU) and President Museveni. The Rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) led by Joseph Kony seeks to over throw the government and institute a rule of law based on Biblical Ten Commandments. The LRA frequently targets civilians, mostly young people with mutilation, rape, murder, looting and burning villages as well as abduction of women, children and youth to serve as child soldiers, porters and sex slaves. An estimated 66,000 children and youth have been abducted by the LRA since the conflict began. The government forces, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), have also committed abuses involving young people such as rape and murder, especially with the internally displaced persons ( IDPs) camps under their protection.

An estimated 90 percent of the population in northern Uganda has been displaced and children and women being the most affected. In an effort, to isolate the LRA, the government forcibly relocated many people to the IDP camps called “Protected Villages” which are guarded by the UPDF. The insecurity and policy of forced relocation has resulted in 1.6 million IDPs suffering from chronic poverty, inadequate nutrition, poor sanitation and limited access to health care services and education. In mid 2005, a multi agency health and mortality survey led by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that nearly 1000 people mostly children die each week in IDP camps in northern Uganda due to preventable diseases. An estimated 80 percent of IDPs are children and women.

Current Situation:

In August of 2006, a cessation of hostilities agreement was signed by the GoU and the LRA. Since then, security has increased for travel of both humanitarian workers and IDPs. The LRA has frequently stalled progress towards achieving peace, including withdrawing from talks in January 2007. In February 2007, the LRA and the GoU agreed to extend the cessation of hostilities through June and peace talks resumed between the LRA and the GoU in April 2007 until now. Few LRA security-related incidents have been reported since the start of the peace process.

In October 2005, the International Criminal court ( ICC) issued warrants for Kony and four of his top commanders, including Vicent Otti, whom Kony killed after accusing him of siding with government in the on-going peace process. Some have credited the threats of the ICC, but Kony his commanders are seeking immunity from prosecution by the ICC, in favor of local traditional justice

Since August 2006, many people in northern Uganda are considering returning home, but a large scale has not occurred due to un affordable challenges including lack of infrastructure in rural areas throughout the north. This includes poor roads and lack of
access to safe water, sanitation, primary health care and education. As of May 2007, 409,253 people have returned to their villages of origin (Lira, Apac and Oyam districts) where the conflict and displacement was among the shortest in northern Uganda. An additional of 395,492 mostly children and women have relocated to “Satellite Camps”

Despite the return of 800 children from the LRA who used to serve as soldiers, sex slaves, porters from the LRA in 2006, an estimated 3,000 women and children still remain with the rebels and on –going negotiations have not yet secured their release

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  Sierra Leone

Summary of Activities

For a summary of CRE activity in this area please review the (now rather dated) OCDRCM website profile for this country.

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  Uganda

Summary of Activities

Region of Context: Great Lakes Region
The region has a significant share of conflicts with the epicenter of these conflicts varying from country to country; notably Uganda ( 1981-86), Democratic Republic of Congo ( 1996-97) and Burundi ( 1993-2001 and 2003) The rest of the countries such as Kenya, Zambia and Tanzania have experienced intra-state conflict reflective in ethnic, religious and political tensions and ways of life.
The consequences of these conflicts have imposed on regional political, economic and social cultural costs. As a result, low economic productivity, destruction of property, depletion of natural resources, increased proliferation of small arms and light weapons are profound in the region. Yet youth in the region for a longtime have been used as agents of disorientation, political and economic pawns by those chasing and pushing for jacketed whims.

The youth have been abducted and forced to commit atrocities, forced into marriages as sex slaves, exploited as cheap labor and used as stones by politicians. Many youth today in the region, have been abducted are increasingly getting passionate with issues of peace building. They are using multiplicity of ideas and thinking as interpreted from post independence perspective to address these issues. This means they can be able to add value to the processes of conflict resolution if their efforts are clearly mapped out.

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