Mr Nicasius Achu Check,

Research Specialist, Peace and Security Unit, AISA

Venue: Burgers Park Hotel

Date: 2 March 2010

Time: 10:00 - 12:30

Profile

Nicasius Achu Check is a Research Specialist based at the Peace & Security Research unit of the

Africa Institute of South Africa.  Before joining the Institute he was a Lecturer at Vista University.  His areas

of research interest include transitional justice, Post conflict reconstruction and African oriented conflict

resolution strategies.

Abstract

The precipitous increase of armed conflict on the continent after the demise of the one party state phenomenon, exposed the structural weaknesses of the OUA/AU and not less sub-regional groupings in curbing reoccurrence of conflict on the continent.  One of the reasons which Analysts have conspicuously advance for such occurrence is the complex nature of African state formation. The apparent oversight by colonialists to disregard traditional African nation building tenets,  and neo-imperialism have perhaps masterminded conflict precipitants on the continent. The paper examines the genesis of the FN rebellion in Cote d’Ivoire and critique ECOWAS response to it. It posits that social exclusion, colonial intrigues, ethnicity and the fight for resource control were the leading causes of the conflict. The paper argues that the major obstacle to ECOWAS mediation effort in the country is the overwhelming omnipotent and omnipresence of the French in all spheres of Ivoirian life. The paper concludes that the  onus is on France to decide whether peace and stability returns to the country.

RSVPs

Sam Lekala                                                                                        

slekala@ai.org.za

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