Irregular wars have erupted in African states since colonial independence from Western European countries in the 1960s. The end of the Cold War in 1989 and the changing nature of international politics did not bring about political stability in African states either. These intrastate wars were by-products of historic disputes kept hidden during the Cold War. When the ideological confrontation ended, they surfaced again. Intrastate wars and irregular warfare are not new phenomena on the African continent and led to the collapse of state institutions in countries such as Liberia, Somalia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, Sudan and Burundi. Rather than addressing African animosities, conflict continues unabated.The article aims to investigate why irregular (or asymmetric) warfare is utilised in African conflicts where rebel and ethnic groups retain residual military capacity to deploy against weak central governments if their socio-economic demands are not met in the emerging states. The article combines "grievance" and "greed" models to explain the motivations for conflict, while the conceptualisation and utilisation of asymmetric warfare approaches in the African context of irregular war are questioned. Democratic values such as freedom, justice, equality and human dignity are lacking in conflict-ridden societies where unequal forces compete for political and economic control or control over scarce resources. Peacekeeping operations cannot succeed unless the basis for equitable participation in, and the sharing of wealth and power is established in African societies.

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This article examines the social reintegration of demobilized members of the armed forces into South African society within the context of limited government resources and a lack of planning for such reintegration. This paper suggests a number of innovative ways in which both government and private enterprise can contribute toward the social reintegration of demobilized members of the armed forces without spending too much. One of the main recommendations in the article is that current policies should shift away from “transforming” or modernizing/rationalizing security institutions towards redressing the situation of those who were adversely affected and those who will still be negatively affected between now and the conclusion of the demobilization process. Particular attention should be paid to those who remain jobless or poverty-stricken, since a potential security threat lies with these disgruntled demobilized personnel.

stiffness and pulse wave velocity / Aorta and carotid arteries 137 (0.94 to 1.01) p = 0.096; Obesity OR = 0.47 (0.29 to 1.77) p = 0.003 and Diabetes OR = 2.41 (1.15 -5.05) p = 0.020. Conclusions: According to the results obtained, genetic polymorphisms variables were not in the multivariate analysis equation to determine the increase of the PWV, which can be explained either by being included in the selected variables such as hypertension, or on the other hand, they may not have enough strength to remain in the equation. So, according to this study, PWV has much more to do with behaviors and traditional risk factors than the genetic heritage.P883 Endothelial dysfunction, pulse wave velocity and augmentation index are correlated in subjects with systemic arterial hypertension?

This article deals with the socio-political context of the Liberian civil war. It gives background to the conflict, explains how the different factions emerged and how they involved children in the conflict to be reintegrated afterwards. It examines how different community structures are identified during the reintegration processes of child soldiers and questions whether the right structures are identified. To address these issues, the question is asked: What international and regional efforts and policies were created to address the problem of sustainable reintegration of child soldiers? It is necessary to focus on legal frameworks that protect children in armed conflicts and frameworks where the International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law provisions are stipulated. The role of the community in the social reintegration process is crucial, and documented literature on common mistakes made in working with community structures by the different actors are explained. However, the type of community structures to bring on board in the reintegration programmes is still a challenge. The qualitative research design, based on the Functionalist theoretical perspective, to gather data on creating sustainable community structures will briefly be mentioned to explain how research questions were answered and resolved.