Volume 21 Number 2

In the last 20 years, Africa has experienced a steady decline in violent conflicts, despite anapparently paradoxical increase in peacekeeping operations. Some long-term conflict studies have revealed a changing landscape of security challenges on the continent: from violent conflicts to more diffuse forms of threats to the stability of fragile state constructions, with low levels of human security.

Large parts of the continent, however, still face the consequences of violent conflicts, which seem to have entrenched themselves in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Somalia. This is the main reason why the central hub of the current issue of African Security Review is conflict.

The contributors to this issue approach the concept of conflict from the unique angles of their diverse disciplinary fields, creating a wagon-wheel of contributions that are diverse in subject matter, but are all related to the concept of conflict – its prevention and its management by different actors. The latter dimension features the South African contribution to peacekeeping in Africa, analysing the country’s record and experience in a field where Pretoria seems to have recently reviewed its priorities. In any case, all featured articles broach a dimension of conflict which, without necessarily being new to the debate, sheds original light on various aspects

Paul-Simon Handy (Guest editor)

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