The contributors to this book examine the conceptual issues relating to the link between conflict and poverty as well as presenting case studies of countries often regarded as ‘hot spots’ for conflict in Africa. They also explore the roles of regional and sub-regional bodies and institutions in addressing the causes of poverty and mitigating the impacts of conflict on vulnerable and marginalized groups.
Africa is often regarded as the epicentre of conflicts worldwide. Virtually every part of the continent is currently engulfed in one form of conflict or another. Beyond the loss of life, conflicts have brought untold hardship to millions and have derailed social and economic development on the continent. Written by African academics, this book is divided into three sections, the first of which discusses the factors that fuel conflicts and the nature and impacts of conflicts on vulnerable groups. The second section comprises case studies of South Sudan, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, Uganda, and Cameroon. These countries are representative of the sub-regional dynamics of Africa – west, east, central, and south – reflecting the diversity of the continent. The final section examines the role of key institutions and bodies in Africa in mitigating the impact of conflict on the socioeconomic lives of the people in the region. Bodies discussed include the African Union, Economic Community of West African States, Southern African Development Community, and the East African Community.
The book will be an invaluable resource for researchers, academics and policymakers working in the areas of law, political science, human rights, peace studies, development studies, and African studies.
Ebenezer Durojaye is a professor of law at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa. His areas of research include human rights, socioeconomic rights, sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender, and constitutionalism. He has written extensively in these areas. He is the editor and co-editor of over ten books in his areas of research.
Gladys Mirugi-Mukundi is a researcher and the acting head of the Socio-Economic Rights Project at the Dullah Omar Institute, a prominent think tank based at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa (UWC), renowned for its rigorous law and policy research, teaching, and governance and human rights advocacy across the African continent. Gladys’ research expertise and interest are focused on critical issues that include the intersectionality between poverty and human rights in Africa; gender dimensions in the analysis of laws and policies related to housing; and implications of organed crime on the rule of law and anti-corruption measures. Through her research, she aims to advance understanding and implementation of policies that advance socioeconomic rights, foster social justice and promotion of inclusive societies. Gladys holds an LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa from the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria. As a testament to her scholarly influence, Gladys serves as the co-editor of the ESR Review, a respected quarterly publication dedicated to informing and educating policymakers, civil society members, the academic community, and legal practitioners about pivotal developments in socioeconomic rights at both national and international levels.
John-Mark Iyi, PhD, is an associate professor and Director of the African Centre for Transnational Criminal Justice in the UWC Faculty of Law. He received his PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. Dr Iyi researches public international law and international legal theory with special focus on African perspectives in international peace and security, humanitarian intervention, democratization, the responsibility to protect, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, terrorism, and transnational organized crime. He is the author of Humanitarian Intervention and the AU-ECOWAS Intervention Treaties Under International Law (Springer: 2016) and co-editor (with Hennie Strydom) of Boko Haram and International Law (2018).
Usang Maria Assim, PhD, is an associate professor of international human rights law and a senior researcher in the Children’s Rights Project of the Dullah Omar Institute in the UWC Faculty of Law at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. As a children’s rights expert, she works in close collaboration with the African Union Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the committee’s partners, and other civil society organizations involved with children’s rights in Africa and globally to fulfil the committee’s mandate. Among others, she is a member of the Advisory Council of the Independent Expert for the United Nations Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty and is also a council member of the Global Campus of Human Rights, a network of over 100 member universities playing a leading role in human rights and democratization education, research, and advocacy.
