II. The diversity of peace and war in Africa

Chapter:

4. Armed conflict

Source:

SIPRI Yearbook 2015

Author(s):

Peter Wallensteen

Africa has been the site of one-third of all the armed inter- and intra-state conflicts that have taken place since 1946.² Devastating wars, such as those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria and South Sudan—are currently taking place on the African continent. But this bleak picture is not the whole story. In the 1980s, Southern Africa was ravaged by wars in Angola and Mozambique, among others. In the 1990s and the early years of the 21st century, the world was shocked by the brutal wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone. At present, however, Southern Africa has been spared large-scale violent conflicts for about two decades. West Africa, with the important exception of Mali, has also been less torn by armed conflict in the past decade. In addition, some countries, such as Botswana, Benin and Zambia, have remained peaceful since independence and others have only experienced brief spells of violent conflict.