Peacemaking in Protracted Conflicts in Africa

This paper seeks to examine the challenges of peacemaking in protracted conflicts. Using the case of Somalia, the paper argues that conflicts characterized by shifts in actors, alliances, strategies, and circumstances pose a serious risk of cyclical and self-perpetuating conflict. These conflicts can be exacerbated by mutual mistrust, international complications, entrenched grievances, the emergence of non-state armed groups, war economy, the history of conflict, and socio-economic destruction. Studies on Somalia have focused largely on cause-effects of conflict, humanitarian crisis, governance, and terrorism, as well as international interventions. However, there is limited attention on the impact of the protracted nature of the conflict on peacemaking. The author adopts five concepts (concept, issues, relationships, and outcomes to analyse the protracted nature of conflict in Somalia and to examine the vulnerabilities of the conflict resolution measures. The paper concludes that peacemaking in Somalia is likely to be hampered by a prolonged history of conflict, memory, the re-emergence of Al Shabaab, climate change, the fragmented nature of federal states, the war economy, the role of regional and international actors, and the socialization of different generations, which are negatively impacting the prospects for peace in the Horn of Africa state.