African Conflicts Are Neglected

By Gregory Simpkins

“The world is aflame in conflict.”

How often do we hear some version of that? It is, of course, quite true, but the attention is only on a few of those conflicts, and that certainly does not include those on the African continent.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is going on 2 years, and at least half a million people have been killed, billions of dollars in infrastructure has been destroyed and vital supply chains for grain and fertilizer to developing countries have been disrupted, not to mention collateral damage from Russian sanctions on those who do business with them.

Given the potential for a wider conflict that could indeed lead to World War III, it is only natural to focus on this conflict.

The frightening prospect of World War III is made more ominous by China’s alleged preparations for war with the United States over China’s claim to Taiwan, according to a current report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Since early October, the Israel-Hamas conflict has drawn considerable attention. Aside from the brutality of the opening attack on Israel and those who just happened to be in the southern part of the country, for example at a music concert, there is an increasing number of casualties in Gaza.

The United Nations is saying there are at least 5,000 people killed on both sides, not to mention nearly 200 hostages held by Hamas. While Israel is obligated to make all reasonable efforts to prevent or minimize civilian casualties in Gaza, Hamas has located its weapons in or near civilian schools, hospitals and dwellings, and Israel’s response to that initial attack is piling up civilian casualties in Gaza as a result, damaging the possibility of a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace.

However, other conflicts that had been the focus of international attention prior to the Ukraine conflict include Syria, which appears to have mainly achieved an uncomfortable stalemate, and Yemen, where the 8-year-old conflict is considered the world’s worst humanitarian situation.

As horrific as these conflicts are and as impactful as they have been on global politics, they should not overshadow ongoing conflicts in Africa, which cry out for resolution. The suffering of African people from those conflicts is no less dire than in other parts of the world, and they are no less deserving of the attention and effort necessary to effectively address them and achieve a lasting resolution.

African conflicts proliferate

Reuters reported on November 11 that violence against civilians in Sudan is “verging on pure evil”, in the words of a senior United Nations official, after nearly 7 months of war has left a wave of destruction with at least half the population in need of humanitarian aid.

“We continue to receive unrelenting and appalling reports of sexual and gender-based violence and forced disappearance, arbitrary detentions and grave violations of human and children’s rights,” Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, told a news conference on November 10.

But that’s not all of the current and potential catastrophes brought to light by this conflict. The World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Sudan warned of a serious health risk after one of the factions fighting in Sudan seized a lab containing deadly diseases.

“That is extremely, extremely dangerous because we have polio isolates in the lab. We have measles isolates in the lab. We have cholera isolates in the lab,” Dr. Nima Saeed Abid said. “There is a huge biological risk associated with the occupation of the central public health lab in Khartoum by one of the fighting parties.”

The expulsion of technicians and power cuts in the Sudanese capital means “it is not possible to properly manage the biological materials that are stored in the lab for medical purposes,” the WHO said.

Surely there is an ability to focus on such significant threats even if it isn’t frequently on the international stage. To continue to ignore such conflicts will only ratchet up the need for increasingly depleted humanitarian resources and require more stringent health security protocols.

The UN is warning that the conflict in neighboring Sudan has intensified stress on South Sudan and distracted from the implementation of the peace deal there. The unity government remains intact, but the Global Conflict Tracker stated on August 8, that security sector reforms have languished as skeptical parties don’t trust each other and hold back their best fighters in anticipation of a possible return to fighting.

While the Global Conflict Tracker reports that the frequency of violent incidents in Ethiopia has decreased in 2023, peace deal implementation challenges remain, particularly with regard to transitional justice and the withdrawal of foreign troops. In April, Ethiopian Prime Minister Ahmed Abiy announced that all regional forces would be integrated into the national police and army. The decision sparked protests in Amhara, and militias have resisted the effort, prompting Abiy to turn to both negotiations and force to achieve his goal.

Someone must devote the necessary attention to resolving or forestalling conflicts that not only damage African countries and their citizens, but also threaten broader international peace and security.

In April, Ethiopia began peace talks with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a rebel group that has long opposed the government and that allied with the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) during its advance toward Addis Ababa. However, in June, Abiy said that paramilitaries posed what he labeled a “significant risk to national unity” and vowed to continue operations until only the national security forces remained.

Fighting broke out again when the federal government clashed with the Fano militia group in the Amhara region, the Global Conflict Tracker reports. The militant group, which previously allied with the government against Tigrayan forces, alleges that Addis Ababa has neglected the region’s security amid efforts to assert federal authority and integrate regional forces into the military.

Ethiopia’s intelligence chief has acknowledged that the government had lost control of some areas. Ethiopia declared a six-month state of emergency in Amhara to combat the threat, and residents reported hearing heavy gunfire and seeing military aircraft.

The Africa Report noted on July 14 inconclusive peace talks between the Ethiopian government and rebel group the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) over diametrically opposed views abound about the way forward – and the future relationship with the Abiy government. Soon after the talks ended on 3 May, the OLA – an outlawed splinter group of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) opposition party – accused federal authorities of launching a renewed offensive. Many people in Oromia believe that the ruling Prosperity Party wants to water down ethnic rights – a longstanding concern by non-Amhara people in Ethiopia.

According to various reports, after a number of peace and mediation proposals in the intervening years, Ethiopia and the Tigrayan rebel forces agreed to a cessation of hostilities on November 2, which went into effect the day after; Eritrea was not a party to the agreement, however, and they largely continued to occupy parts of Tigray in 2023.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch reported that armed forces and foreign fighters apparently from the Russia-linked Wagner Group summarily executed and forcibly disappeared several dozen civilians in Mali’s central region last December. They reportedly also destroyed and looted civilian property and allegedly tortured detainees in an army camp.

Nevertheless, on June 16, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop told the United Nations Security Council to withdraw the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) “without delay,” citing a “crisis of confidence” between the Malian authorities and the 15,000-member UN peacekeeping force. On June 28, the UN Security Council conceded and decided to “terminate MINUSMA’s mandate,” but maintain its personnel until 31 December to plan and execute the cessation of operations and transfer of tasks.

The historic city of Timbuktu has been under jihadist blockade for a month, as residents struggle to live, and eat, according to a September 13 report in The Africa Report. Facing dire circumstances, its residents find themselves trapped in the war between the Malian army and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate.

The long-stalemated peace and independence process in Western Sahara also has seen ominous signs of potentially reigniting. Morocco, which occupied the territory back in 1975, continues to maintain control of the territory. Morocco’s rival, Algeria, backs the Polisario Front, the representatives of the indigenous Sahrawi people in their battle for the Western Sahara’s independence.

Algeria in November 2022 cut gas supplies to a pipeline through Morocco that delivers gas to Spain and Portugal. This was a sign that although the conflict isn’t an active one in terms of fighting between the Polisario Front and Morocco, regional politics could ignite this situation if it continues to be ignored.

Africa has numerous active and potential conflicts – some caused by outside elements – and just as outsiders have a desire to get their way on various interests in Africa, someone must devote the necessary attention to resolving or forestalling conflicts that not only damage African countries and their citizens, but also threaten broader international peace and security.

Gregory Simpkins, a longtime specialist in African policy development, is the Principal of 21st Century Solutions. He consults with organizations on African policy issues generally, especially in relating to the U.S. Government. He further acts as a consultant to the African Merchants Association, where he advises the Association in its efforts to stimulate an increase in trade between several hundred African Diaspora small and medium enterprises and their African partners.