Role of religious organizations in conflict and peacebuilding in sub-Saharan Africa: a case study of the catholic church and the Islamic religion.

Abstract

Wars, armed violence and insecurity continue to blight Africa, contributing to human suffering and obstructing human development across much of the continent. Preventing and reducing violent conflict has become a key priority not only for African governments and peoples, but also for international organizations and the rest of the world. This research project examines not only the religious dimension of violent conflicts and insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa, but also, accounts for the role of faith-based actors involved in peacebuilding, probing their capabilities and effectiveness as well as the challenges that assail their roles as conflict managers in order to make recommendations on various ways in which key stakeholders and governments can incorporate faith based actors in key decisions for faster peaceful conflict resolution in the future. It aims to contribute to improvements in conflict prevention and reduction policies and programmes in Africa. This study notes an increase in religious violence in Sub-Saharan Africa and identifies that religious organizations could be a powerful yet underutilized tool in the prevention and resolution of many African conflicts. It further notes that religious traditions, scriptures, rituals and symbols, since they have powerful narratives, may easily become the cornerstone of ethnic or nationalist projects that divide people. But they can equally create narratives of human dignity and reconciliation. It also presents a varied range of religious actors such as ordinary people, leaders, grassroots organizations, NGOs, transnational networks, and organized institutions who can be very instrumental in peacebuilding work though they cannot replace the other work needed to resolve other interlocking problems (e.g. inequality, marginalization, structural malfunctioning, state failure, global dependence dynamics, etc.) related to conflict and peace.