Nowhere in the world is the demand for peace more prominent and challenging than in Africa. From state collapse and anarchy in Somalia to protracted wars and rampant corruption in the Congo; from bloody civil wars and extreme poverty in Sierra Leone to humanitarian crisis and authoritarianism in Sudan, the continent is the focus of growing political and media attention.

This book presents the first comprehensive overview of conflict and peace across the continent. Bringing together a range of leading academics from Africa and beyond, Peace and Conflict in Africa is an ideal introduction to key themes of conflict resolution, peacebuilding, security and development. The book's stress on the importance of indigenous Africa approaches to creating peace makes it an innovative and exciting intervention in the field.

'This is a welcome and pioneering attempt, conducted overwhelmingly by Africans, to integrate the insights both of academic conflict and peace analysis, and of indigenous African approaches to conflict resolution, and apply them to the needs of peace-building in modern Africa.' - Christopher Clapham, Editor, The Journal of Modern African Studies

'Peace and Conflict in Africa is a significant contribution to our understanding of the conflicts which have characterized post-colonial Africa. This book sets in train the debate about how Africa-centric solutions for peace will begin to look, by seeking to valorise African traditional peace strategies through forgiveness, healing, reconciliation and restorative justice in order to build social trust. Essential reading for students of Africa, policy makers and the NGO communities' - Professor Alfred Tunde Zack-Williams, University of Central Lancashire

David Francis is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Bradford, where he established and directs the Africa Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies. He has published extensively on the economics and politics of security in Africa. He is the author of Uniting Africa: Building Regional Peace and Security Systems (2006).