It was a great honour and privilege to have
been invited to Copenhagen, Denmark, to address interested parties and Masters-level
students at the Royal Danish Defence College (RDDC) on “New Wars”.
Whereas my contribution to the seminar and the subsequent debate
as well as the lectures on New Wars was miniscule at best, it was heartening to see the
interest shown by those I engaged with regarding the many conflicts we
experience – and will continue to experience – in Africa.
The visit to the RDDC also allowed us to
discuss numerous issues such as politics in Africa, the development of conflict
and war, why governments fail, the scourge of poaching and where they think
Africa is possibly going wrong.
We also discussed issues such as the threats
facing Africa, the role of foreign powers, the UN and PMCs and why many if not
most of these interventions fail or deliver very little results – in many
instances only escalating the already-existing tensions and conflicts.
These discussions made me realize that the
intent of those I spoke with at the RDDC have a genuine desire to see an
improvement in Africa’s lot. To Africa, that can only be good.
My sincerest thanks to the Royal Danish
Defence College as well as everyone who partook in our discussions and in
particular to Professors Thomas Mandrup and Stig Jenson for the friendship and the opportunity
given to me.
