A Case for Neighbourhood Level Approach for Urban Peacekeeping in Africa

Abstract

African cities, like others, are places of opportunity, heterogeneity, industry and innovation relative to others. However, they are also characterized by several dimensions of dysfunctionality, one of which seems to be a high propensity for conflict and violence. In this chapter, the focus is on the role of the neighbourhood as a spatial and social construct in an urban area and how the social capital therein can be used to foster peace. The chapter examines the dynamics of multi-ethnicity as a trigger of urban violence, and is presented from a review of various African city contexts, noting how ethnicity, religion, infrastructure deficiencies often converge to create episodes of urban violence in cities. The rationale for domiciling conflict resolution at the neighbourhood or local level is one that finds general acceptance in the literature, and this chapter develops this further by outlining the practicalities of how this can be achieved. A reflection of how existing and indigenous practices can be legitimized is also considered a starting point in advocating for the institutionalization of neighbourhood-based peacekeeping. However, if peace is to be fostered in cities, there is a need for learning from theories associated with social capital at the neighbourhood level. This is another focal point of this chapter, as it presents theoretical considerations for understanding how and why conflicts might occur in an urban area and how this can be mitigated. In the final analysis, it is concluded that peacekeeping provided at the local level, using existing social capital at the neighbourhood level, which supports age-old and tested practices maybe far more beneficial for urban conflict resolution.