Department of Global Communications December 2019 - March 2020 www.un.org/africarenewal Silencing the guns in Africa Africa’s remaining conflict hotspots Interview: Bience Gawanas, UN Special Adviser on Africa Partnerships: Creating opportunities for youth CONTENTS December 2019 - March 2020 | Vol. 33 No. 3 4 SPECIAL FEATURE COVER STORY Silencing the guns in Africa 6 Interview: Ms. Aïssatou Hayatou, the ‘Silencing the Guns’ operations manager at the African Union Commission 8 Work in progress for Africa’s remaining conflict hotspots Scenes from the launch of the 16 Days of Activism 10 African youth and the growth of violent extremism in Chongoene district, Gaza province in southern Mozambique. UN Women/Leovigildo Nhampule 12 We must involve women in the peace process 14 Drying Lake Chad Basin gives rise to crisis 16 Interview: Ambassador Mamman Nuhu, Lake Chad Basin Commission Executive Secretary 16 Interview: Bience Gawanas, Under Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa Editor-in-Chief ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Sandra Macharia 3 Africa Watch: 2020 is election 29 Black-eyed peas: A taste of Managing Editor season across Africa Africa in the Americas Zipporah Musau 20 Battling the damaging effects 30 Bigger than Africa – Tales of Staff Writers of ‘fast fashion’ the Yoruba people Kingsley Ighobor 22 African airlines navigate 32 Interview: Global Teacher Prize Franck Kuwonu turbulent skies winner a champion for STEM 24 Interview: Ibrahim Mayaki, chief 34 Africa Wired: E-commerce Research & Media Liaison executive officer of the African offers fresh opportunities for Pavithra Rao Union Development Agency - young traders NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) 35 Book Review Design, Production & Distribution Partnerships: Creating Paddy D. Ilos, II 26 UN Appointments opportunities for youth 35 Administration 28 President Julius Maada Bio speaks on child and maternal Dona Joseph mortality in Sierra Leone Interns Cover photo: The “Non-Violence” (or “Knotted Gun”) sculpture at the UN Plaza. AR/Yun Shi Yun Shi Africa Renewal (ISSN 2517-9829) is published supporting organizations. Articles from this Pierre-Alain Wiayi Seya in English and French by the Strategic magazine may be freely reprinted, with attribution Communications Division of the United Nations to the author and to “United Nations Africa Department of Global Communications. Renewal,” and a copy of the reproduced article Africa Renewal is published by the United Its contents do not necessarily reflect the views would be appreciated. Copyrighted photos may Nations, New York, on recycled paper. of the United Nations or the publication’s not be reproduced. ©2019 Africa Renewal. All rights reserved. Subscribe to Africa Renewal ISBN: 978-92-1-101420-4 Africa Renewal offers free subscriptions to eISBN: 978-92-1-004814-9 individual readers. Please send your request to www.un.org/africarenewal Address correspondence to: Circulation at the address to the left or by e-mail to The Editor, Africa Renewal [email protected]. Institutional subscriptions are available for thirty-five US dollars, payable by Room S-1032 facebook.com/africarenewal international money order or a cheque in US dollars United Nations, NY 10017-2513, USA, drawn on a US bank, to the “United Nations” and Tel: (212) 963-6857, Fax: (212) 963-4556 sent to Circulation at the address to the left. twitter.com/africarenewal E-mail: [email protected] 2 AfricaRenewal December 2019 - March 2020 AFRICA WATCH QUOTABLES UN Photo/Manuel Elias We must promote women’s rights and equal opportuni- ties. Together, we can — and must — end rape and Presidential and legislative elections in DR Congo. MONUSCO/Sylvain Liechti sexual assault of all kinds. António Guterres, 2020 is election season across Africa UN Secretary-General We are ‘Generation By Franck Kuwonu Abiy Ahmed’s reforms. Having won the Equality’. If not us, who? 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for ending a Our responsibility is to end oters across the continent will be two-decade conflict with neighbouring rape within a generation Vheading to the ballot box this coming Eritrea, observers will be eager to learn and to do all we can in the year to choose their leaders in presiden- to what extent Mr Abiy’s changes are next 10 years to score very tial, parliamentary and local elections taking hold and how much domestic sup- high on the implementation starting with the Comoros in January port he has earned since the award was of the SDGs. and ending with Ghana in December. announced. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Comorians will be electing a new Polls in Somalia will be the first in UN Women Executive Director 33-member national assembly following 50 years. Voters will elect the president presidential elections in 2019 while Gha- and their representatives through direct Our presence here today naians will select their parliamentarians ballots - the last universal suffrage polls is one of the many hopeful and president on 7 December. having been held in 1969. Previous presi- signs of a growing global In Chad and Mauritius, electoral dential elections held in 2009, 2012 and movement and global commissions have yet to decide on exact 2017 involved a system of thousands of momentum that dates, but absent unexpected delays, the clan delegates voting for parliamentary will stop rape, not polls should go ahead as legally man- representatives, who in turn elected just in war but in dated. In Seychelles, the electoral body the president. Election preparations peace, and in our will decide in August when the presiden- are currently underway, includ- lifetime. We will tial election will be held later in the year. ing the drafting of electoral laws, need everyone Overall, the polls are expected to be though security remains a con- to work hard peaceful and free. Yet, for different rea- cern throughout the country. because we sons, some countries like Burkina Faso, Togolese will go to the polls have a lot to Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali and in April to cast their ballots for do on ending Somalia are ones to watch. president with the possibility violence. In Ethiopia, elections of members of of a run-off should no candi- Melissa Fleming, the House of People’s Representatives date garner more than 50% of Under-Secretary- and of regional State Councils will be the votes. The polls will be the General for held in a new political environment ush- UN Global ered in by the youthful Prime Minister see page 31 Communications AfricaRenewal December 2019 - March 2020 3 SILENCING THE GUNS Realising a conflict-free Africa is the dream of every African. In this edition, we highlight the current hotspots; the root causes of conflicts; the various efforts in search of peaceful co-existence and development and the African Union’s quest for silencing the guns by 2020. Silencing the guns in Africa by 2020 African Union’s 2020 campaign to achieve peace and end conflict, extremism, crime BY ZIPPORAH MUSAU n 2013 African Union (AU) member state represen- Weapons being burnt during the official launch of the tatives gathered at its headquarters in Addis Ababa, Disarmament, Demobilization, Rehabilitation and Ethiopia, where the Organisation of African Unity Reintegration (DDRR) process in Muramvya, Burundi. was established in 1963, to celebrate the body’s UN Photo/Martine Perret I50th anniversary. Amid the pomp and ceremony, the leaders sat down of Agenda 2063. Of course, there were other challen- to reflect and tackle the tough questions: What progress ges facing the continent, including poverty, inequality, $40.2 have we made towards the achieving of the objectives unemployment, climate change, illegal financial flows, set by the AU and looking forward, what is our proposed corruption, etc, yet conflict tops the list. billion vision for Africa for the next 50 years? Furthermore, “Before leaving Addis Ababa, the AU leaders resolved Africa’s what is the biggest challenge to realizing the aspirations not to pass the burden of conflict to future generations, of our people? so they adopted “Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020” official military Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, then African Union as one of the flagship projects of the wider developmental expenditure Commission chairperson, had visited various countries blueprint Agenda 2063,” Ms. Aïssatou Hayatou, the AU in 2018 collecting views from governments, civil society and the “Silencing the Guns” operations manager, told Africa diaspora, on what they felt was the most pressing issue Renewal. facing Africa, one the AU should deal with. She added: “The objective was to achieve peace to Most agreed that conflict remains one of the biggest allow for development across Africa.” challenges facing Africa. The AU also sees conflict as The initiative was intended to achieve a conflict-free one of the biggest impediments to the implementation Africa, prevent genocide, make peace a reality for all and 4 AfricaRenewal December 2019 - March 2020 rid the continent of wars, violent conflicts, Research Institute (SIPRI), an inde- human rights violations, and humanitarian Notable progress has pendent international institute dedicated disasters. The leaders hoped to have all the to research into conflict, armaments, arms guns silenced by 2020. been made in preventing, control and disarmament. The SIPRI Arms Since 2014, Africa has made progress managing and resolving Transfers Database provides information in the quest for peace and security, mostly conflicts in Africa but a on all international transfers of major arms by strengthening continental response number of African countries (including sales, gifts and production under frameworks and institutions, as well still remain trapped in a license) to states, international organiza- as by working with the UN and vicious cycle of violent tions and non-state groups. other organisations on the ground. Twenty-two African countries also These initiatives have borne fruit. conflict and its deadly manufacture various kinds of small arms Over the past two decades, the consequences. and light weapons.