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Africa Policy E-JournalAfrica: Conflict Watch, 1 CONFLICT WATCH - PILOT EDITION Note: An archive of Inter Press Service Africa stories is available on the IPS Web site (http://www.ips.org). The current issue of Conflict Watch is available at http://www.ips.org/watch/. For more information on the availability of Conflict Watch by e-mail or in print, please contact IPS Africa headquarters in Harare (ipshre@harare.iafrica.com or ipshre@gn.apc.org). Introducing ... Conflict WatchConflict Watch is a joint initiative of the Africa Regional Office of Inter Press Service (IPS) and the Africa Secretariat of the Third World Network (TWN). The agenda is to contribute to early warning, conflict prevention and peace-building by disseminating information on potential and actual conflict situations in sub-Saharan Africa. The bulletin draws on the journalistic resources of IPS, a global news agency, and contributions from NGOs and civil society actors committed to the goals of peace and justice. Conflict in Africa is all too often portrayed as sudden and mindless explosions of violence. That assessment fails to appreciate that conflict is a process with a logic -- however warped -- of its own. It has its roots in the political, economic and social structures of individual countries. Conflict, however, does not occur in a domestic vacuum. Africa is buffeted by a global economic system that has compounded its poverty, exacerbated the consequences of its leaders' mistakes, and made the competition for power and wealth all the more acute. An international dimension is also apparent as soon as frightened refugees flee across a border, or regional powers are drawn into the crisis in a neighbouring state. What is frequently overlooked in the depiction of Africa's strife is the role, often an heroic one, played by local and transnational NGOs in building peace and promoting reconciliation. They have a wealth of expertise and experience that is undervalued and marginalised in traditional state-centred approaches to conflict settlement. By contrast, Conflict Watch harnesses that input. It provides a platform for a sharing of ideas and initiatives generated by NGOs, particularly grassroots organisations, who are at the sharp end of peace and justice concerns. In offering a forum for discussion, the bulletin seeks to be at the forefront of the dialogue on human security and development in Africa, from which we can all learn and be enriched. In the post-Cold War world, the saliency of the traditional concept of state sovereignty has been eroded. The right of humanitarian intervention by the international community is being increasingly more broadly defined. If there is greater acceptance among states for preventive diplomacy and peace-keeping, then the challenge is to ensure the effectiveness of those interventions. It is generally assumed that the faster the local or diplomatic reaction is to brewing trouble, the easier it is to effect a positive settlement. A speedy response is however predicated on clear and timely information. An early warning system seeks to provide both the raw data in quantity, to overcome the background noise of competing agendas, and qualitatively in terms of the accuracy of its analysis. But information is not all. However insistent the early warning signals are and compelling the case for intervention, the political will must be mustered to act. That action, though, must take note of the local context. It should also be informed by an awareness of the role that grassroots organisations can play in resolving their local problems, and work with that indigenous resource, democratising the peace initiative and deepening the character of civil society. Africa Early Warning Bulletin provides both a comprehensive source of early warning data and an extra channel to lobby for sound and enduring remedies to actual or potential conflict situations. African civil society is maturing in strength and importance. The bulletin represents that growth and Africa's struggle to build positive peace and security for its people. INSIDE THIS PILOT ISSUE:
WE NEED YOU! 'Conflict Watch' is a networking tool to both link and provide a platform for organisations working in Africa. So please let us have your contributions, whether they be letters to the editorial committee, articles, opinion pieces, reports, networking information for our 'Noticeboard' section, or just ideas about issues for our editorial team to follow up. Reports and opinion pieces should be no longer than 800 - 1,000 words, and networking information should have full contact details. Senders should clearly identify themselves and include their contact details. E-mailed submissions for consideration for publication should preferably be sent in plain ASCII text form to Lynette Matimba at Inter Press Service. Editorial Board Peter da Costa Yao Graham Napoleon Abdulai Laurie Nathan Mercy Wambui Hassan Ba Ebrima Sall Comfort Lamptey Editorial Consultant Design & Layout This bulletin is produced by Inter Press Service (Africa) in collaboration with Third World Network (Ghana). Articles carried in this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without prior consent of the publisher, only on condition that credit is given. The bulletin may however not be reprinted or resold. Inter Press Service, Africa Headquarters, 127 Union Ave. Box 6050, Harare, Zimbabwe. Tel: 263-4-790104/5 Fax: 263-4-728415 E-mail: ipshre@harare.iafrica.com or ipshre@gn.apc.org Inter Press Service is the world's leading alternative news agency, with a regional presence in Africa Asia, Latin America, North America, the Caribbean and Europe. It has correspondents in more than 100 countries and reaches in excess of 1,000 media outlets worldwide. IPS specialises in in-depth and contextualised coverage of international processes, events and issues that affect the Third World with particular emphasis on grassroots actors in development. IPS recognises the negative role of inadequate and biased 'event orientated' information and as such seeks to provide an accurate, balanced picture of the issues behind the news. In the Africa region IPS operations are co-ordinated from Harare, Zimbabwe. The IPS Africa region is firmly commited to the strengthening of a truly independent African voice in the international flow of information. Third World Network , Africa Regional Secretariat, 4th Sakumo Link Larterbiokoshie, P.O Box 8604, Accra-North, Ghana. Tel: 233-21-301064/224069/231688 Fax: 233-21-231687/773857 E-mail:isodec@mantse.ncs.com.gh Third World Network is an international network of groups and individuals who seek great articulation of the needs and rights of the peoples of the Third World, especially marginalised social groups; a fair distribution of the world's resources, and forms of development which are ecologically sustainable and fulfil human needs. TWN is co-ordinated by an international Committee with membership drawn from Africa, Asia and South America.
Documents previously distributed in the e-journal are
available on the Africa Action website: To be added to or dropped from the e-journal subscription list, write to e-journal@africaaction.org. For more information about reposted material, please contact directly the source mentioned in the posting.
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Africa Policy E-Journal
