Introduction

The dawn of African independence following the demise of colonialism has not brought lasting peace and stability to the continent. On the contrary, after the era of coups d’état in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, internal armed conflicts and pre- and post-election unrest seemed to be widespread phenomena throughout Africa. All this has hampered the efforts to effect sustainable development that would redeem Africans from poverty.

This is how an elderly man greeted me in Xitsonga, a Bantu language spoken in Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe, with tears rolling down his face, when I went to visit my home village, Khasane, district of Manjacaze, Gaza province, in Southern Mozambique in 1990. This was towards the end of the 16-year armed conflict that had caused so much death and inflicted extraordinary pain, suffering and misery on ordinary Mozambican civilians. Bowd and Chikwamha (2010:x) echo the elder's sentiments when they succinctly state the following: ‘The countries of Sub-Saharan Africa that have been embroiled in violent conflict are characterized by abject poverty, inadequate service provision, political instability, retarded economic growth and other challenges to overall development that deter the enhancement of human security.’

Peace, as a result, has been placed high on the agenda of the African Union. Although reliable figures are not readily available, it is believed that peace and security take the lion's share of the African Union's annual budget. However, despite all the efforts, mechanisms, and instruments, peace remains as elusive as ever almost throughout the continent (Hansungule 2011:85).