Silencing African Guns” in the Age of Anthropocene

A Strategic Paradigm for the African Union

Abstract

The African Union (AU) while commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 2013 made a Solemn Declaration to make the continent peaceful at the end of 2020 which came to pass without the goal being achieved. In addition to pre-existing conflicts, wars induced by human-created ecological crisis – Anthropogenic conflicts – have also begun. The objective of this paper is to attempt a retroactive analysis of this outcome regarding the theoretical distinction between negative and positive peace. Using a macro-level normative qualitative analysis of secondary data and informed by Pan-Africanism, this paper argues that the prospects for peace have eluded the continent primarily due to the predominance of the negative peace approach (a colonial legacy) which privileges armed confrontation rather than a positive peace strategy which upholds the constructive resolution of conflicts through negotiated joint communal initiatives. Africa is replete with centuries-old traditions of positive peace which are still practised in local communities. Given that the negative peace model has not proved its worth and cannot address the root causes of war triggered by ecological crisis, the AU through the APSA ought to leverage and amplify the existing positive peace regimes of the continent to achieve the goal of silencing African guns.