A youthful force for peace in Africa
More than three-quarters of Africans live in a country where security and democracy have deteriorated over the past decade, stated a recent report by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Nothing reflects that slide more than a violent offensive by Rwanda-backed rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some 3,000 people have been killed and 500,000 displaced since mid-January.
Yet responses to the crisis offer a measure of the way Africans are building foundations for durable stability on the continent.
“We must resist the temptation of thinking that we can somehow shoot or bombard our way into a solution in the face of the complexity involved,” Kenyan President William Ruto said during an emergency summit of leaders from southern and East Africa in Tanzania on Saturday. Peace, he argued, depends on respecting the demands of African citizens for freedom, justice, and economic opportunity.
The takeover of the city Goma in eastern Congo by the rebel group M23 is just the latest turn in a pattern of strife dating back to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The ethnic animosities that spilled across the border remain an ongoing security concern. But the conflict is also driven by competition over mineral resources. Eastern Congo holds some of the world’s richest deposits of gold and coltan, a metallic ore used in devices such as cellphones and laptops.
Mr. Ruto’s comment underscores how Africans are shifting their thinking from the economic potential of natural resources to human capabilities. Six in 10 Africans are under the age of 25. By 2035, the World Economic Forum anticipates, more young Africans will enter the workforce each year than in the rest of the world combined.
That demographic bulge is forcing deep change. Over the past decade, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation noted, Africa has made notable gains in health care and gender equality. The International Monetary Fund reported that a “new wave of leaders ... has expressed renewed commitment to fighting corruption.” More than 1,000 new tech hubs are driving a burst of innovation across Africa, according to the United Nations. In December, African heads of state outlined strategies already underway to boost education spending and accelerate the continent’s digital transformation.
The last war in the Congo – 26 years ago, involving six invading armies and nearly two dozen rebel movements – carved up the country temporarily. This time, there is an urgency for peace, showing how Africa may be embracing the potential of its people over material riches.
