APCJ_1528_Win2010_00i_122_4 12/30/10 3:22 PM Page viii From the Managing Editor Welcome to another issue of the Africa Peace and Conflict Journal, the fifth since publication began in December 2008. Wars and violent civil conflicts have dominated media stories about Africa since the early 1990s. The 2009–2010 Human Security Report cites sub-Saharan Africa as having been one of the most conflict-prone regions since 1946, enduring anti-colonial conflicts, struggles for control of post-colonial states, and cold war proxy confrontations.1 These conflicts increased unevenly from the mid-1950s until the early 1990s. No clear trend was discernible in the 1990s, but between 1999 and 2005, the number of conflicts declined by almost two-thirds. Their number, however, again increased in recent years as a result of new or recurring confrontations in the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Niger, and Somalia. From 2002 through 2008, sub-Saharan Africa experienced more non-state armed conflicts than all other regions combined worldwide. On a positive note, the agreements to end some of Africa’s deadlier conflicts early in the new millennium—including those in Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone—have, thus far, held. Although most civil conflicts have abated (at least somewhat), threats to peace and stability continue to plague the continent. Recent post-election developments in the West African nations of Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire are cause for concern. The devastating political impasse in Zimbabwe and on-again, off-again violence in the eastern DR Congo also pose threats to regional stability. Although these simmering conflicts haunt African policy makers and academics alike, there are sometimes glimmers of hope, along with moments of regression. This most recent Human Security Report comes at a time when APCJ is exploring a number of security- and stability-related topics. The contributors to this edition look at various issues involving violence and security and how local communities have bypassed the state in seeking solutions on their own. Many questions remain concerning what should be done to build peace in the wake of violence: What are the dynamics of conflict in a given African context? Why are youths at the forefront of violence in countries across the continent? What measures should or can be taken to mitigate violence? These and other questions must continue to be examined in trying to better understand conflicts in Africa and how to build peace there. The editorial team and the editorial board of APCJ wish to take this opportunity to thank all of our readers and benefactors for the encouragement and support they have accorded us in the past two years. As we continue to build on our achievements, we would be grateful for feedback on how we can improve the quality of the journal as well as how we can sustain it. In the next few weeks, you will be receiving a survey about APCJ. Please take a few minutes to complete it and return it to us. Your participation would be deeply appreciated, as it will help us produce an even-higher-quality product. 1. Human Security Report Project, Human Security Report, 2009/2010: The Causes of Peace and the Shrinking Costs of War (Vancouver, 2010), www.hsrgroup.org/human-security-reports/20092010/text.aspx. Africa Peace and Conflict Journal, 3:2 (2010), viii–ix. © 2010 University for Peace Africa Programme. All rights reserved. ISSN 1659–3944.