Peace, Security and Post-conflict Reconstruction in the Great Lakes Region of Africa

The Great Lakes region of Africa is
characterized by protest politics, partial democratization, political
illegitimacy and unstable economic growth. Many of the countries that
are members of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region
(ICGLR) which are: Burundi, Angola, Central African Republic, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda,
Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia, have experienced political
violence and bloodshed at one time or another. While a few states have
been advancing electoral democracy, environmental protection and
peaceful state building, the overall intensity of violence in the region
has led to civil wars, invasion, genocide, dictatorships, political
instability, and underdevelopment. Efforts to establish sustainable
peace, meaningful socio-economic development and participatory democracy
have not been quite successful. Using various methodologies and
paradigms, this book interrogates the complexity of the causes of these
conflicts; and examines their impact and implications for socio-economic
development of the region. The non-consensual actions related to these
conflicts and imperatives of power struggles supported by the agents of
‘savage’ capitalism have paralysed efforts toward progress. The book
therefore recommends new policy frameworks within regionalist lenses and
neo-realist politics to bring about sustainable peace in the region.