As day one of many Johannesburg Arbitration Week 2026 opened on the Sandton Conference Centre, hosted by dispute decision authority the Arbitration Basis of Southern Africa (AFSA), veteran African heads of State argued that current safety techniques, starting from standby forces to early warning mechanisms are being outpaced by complicated, persistent conflicts.
The three-day discussion board brings collectively policymakers, authorized consultants and former heads of State to discover how dispute decision techniques can higher assist Africa’s growth agenda.
The occasion’s first session introduced collectively a uncommon coalition of former leaders, together with former Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano, former Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan, former Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Collectively, these leaders have collectively navigated liberation struggles, civil wars, democratic transitions and post-crisis reconstruction, and their message was clear – technical options alone can not resolve deeply rooted political and ideological conflicts.
“What’s lacking will not be structure, however knowledge. The type of perception Africa wants comes from those that have sat throughout negotiating tables, signed peace agreements beneath risk and confronted their individuals with troublesome truths,” Chissano stated.
He highlighted that, throughout the continent, disputes have been not confined to conventional battle traces, however have been formed by historic grievances, ethnic divisions, exterior interference and governance challenges.
He added that lots of as we speak’s conflicts echoed patterns established through the Chilly Warfare and earlier colonial rivalries.
“Africa’s conflicts have all the time been influenced by exterior powers. From liberation actions to post-independence struggles, overseas pursuits have formed divisions and outcomes,” Chissano stated.
Drawing on Mozambique’s personal historical past, he described how unity amongst fragmented actions was important to attaining independence in 1975, but stability remained elusive owing to regional and geopolitical pressures. His reflections underscored a recurring theme that peace agreements have been solely as sturdy because the political will and belief underpinning them.
Offering a West African perspective, Jonathan highlighted the operational challenges of mediation in unstable environments, referencing a number of interventions undertaken by means of the Financial Group of West African States and pointing to the delicate steadiness between navy affect and democratic governance.
“Mediation will not be a one-time occasion. It’s a course of that requires persistence and adaptableness. Even when progress is made, setbacks can happen rapidly if establishments are weak or political actors lose belief,” he stated.
He additionally emphasised that regional our bodies had achieved notable successes, together with restoring democratic order in crisis-hit States, however warned that repeated coups and political instability signalled deeper systemic points.
The dialogue additionally turned to the function of inclusivity in peace processes and, throughout the context of Liberia’s civil conflict, Sirleaf pressured that sustainable peace couldn’t be achieved with out the broad participation of girls.
“The ladies of Liberia stood firmly on the negotiating desk and pushed for peace when others wouldn’t. Their presence modified the result. Due to this fact, inclusion will not be optionally available, it’s important,” Sirleaf asserted.
She argued that fashionable conflicts have been more and more formed by social dynamics, together with generational tensions and calls for for fairness and warned that ignoring these elements risked undermining hard-won stability.
“In as we speak’s world setting, we face new types of battle between generations, between expectations and actuality, and between nations over sources and sovereignty,” Sirleaf added.
In the meantime, Kenyatta pointed to the rising complexity of regional safety challenges, together with the rise of navy coups and the erosion of belief in State establishments.
“While you see repeated coups, the justification is usually the identical: lack of sources, lack of belief and lack of accountability. These are governance points as a lot as they’re safety considerations,” Kenyatta stated.
He known as for a stronger alignment between regional organisations and nationwide governments, warning that fragmented responses weakened the continent’s capacity to handle crises successfully.
Central to the dialogue is the signing of a landmark letter of understanding between AFSA and the Discussion board for Former African Heads of State and Authorities, or Africa Discussion board, with the purpose to strengthen dispute decision capability throughout Africa.
This initiative seeks to mix the ethical authority of former leaders with the technical experience of arbitration establishments resembling AFSA, creating what organisers described as a “constructive centre for dispute decision”.
This method, which blends political expertise with institutional functionality might mark a shift in how conflicts are managed on the continent, and slightly than relying solely on formal mechanisms, it recognises the worth of casual diplomacy and peer-to-peer engagement amongst leaders.
The session concluded with a name for renewed dedication to peace-building, prioritising dialogue, inclusivity and sensible knowledge over purely structural options.
