Liberia: Understanding Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms in Post-Conflict Societies

Abstract

Con lict and its resolution have often been part of human history. While the post-colonial state has often been the focus when explaining the persistence of con licts and its resolution in Africa, the bene its of such focus and analysis has not been enough to explain the intra-and interstate nature of con licts and con lict management in Africa. This necessitates a reconsideration of con lict management strategies. Such reconsideration will show the intricate ways con licts and its resolutions are shaped, especially in post-con lict societies, through the instrumentality of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism. With Liberia as the focus and unit of analysis, it noted that the country has been the epicentre of several years of violent con licts with both internal and external dimensions, raising questions about the effectiveness of the orthodox con lict management mechanisms given that the Liberian conlict was intractable for a long time. However, the adoption of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms has helped resolve most, if not all, of the con licts. This paper, therefore, examines the local, traditional and communal alternative dispute resolution mechanisms used to solve the Liberian crisis. Speci ically, the paper interrogates traditional methods of con lict resolution, inclusive of communalism, ethnocultural perception of con licts and its resolution, as

Gender Dimensions of (Non)Violence in Communal Conflict: The Case of Jos, Nigeria

“…However, no political agreement or power-sharing arrangement was secured. In 2015, a report on preventing election-related violence during the presidential and state government elections described the situation in Jos and Plateau State as continually volatile (Afolabi & Avasiloae, 2015).…”

“…In 2015, political mobilization for the gubernatorial elections operated once again along strongly polarized ethno-religious lines (Afolabi & Avasiloae, 2015). According to respondents who had attended peace programs, one important result was building resistance against further incitement of violence, drawing on the example of leaders in Dadin Kowa.…”