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Conflicts are endemic in society, but what is their specific nature in Africa, and why do they deteriorate into such intense violence as negates humanity itself? This article looks at the “mainstream” theorythat attempts to explain this, taking as example the UN secretary‐general's recent report on the subject. The report is both partial and ideological; it seeks to hide the systemic causes of poverty and conflict in Africa. The role of the peace activist is to understand conflict in Africa from a holistic and systemic perspective. He or she must work at various levels to alleviateconflict and prevent its degeneration into violence, based on the dual strategy of partially de‐linking Africa from the global system and developing tolerance towards interethnic and political differences. This approach requires a new kind of moral and political culture, and new structures of political decision‐making and accountability that are locally accountable and diversified.