by: Miyar

Abstract

Rethinking and pursuing permanent peace in fragile African states constitutes predominant complexities and challenges. Fragile states in Africa experience a continuum of cyclical violence, political instability, and socio-economic underdevelopment despite international interventions through peacebuilding and foreign assistance. The enduring political fragility portrays the fundamental failure of governance systems and systemic public service delivery, perpetuated by socio-economic inequality, exclusion, and citizen disillusionment. This paper disparagingly evaluates and analyses the overriding peacebuilding paradigms. Its argument is based on assessing traditional and externally imposed models that have overshadowed mainly the central domestic governance structures and the significant contribution of legitimacy, local ownership, and institutional resilience. Examining the historical and contemporary dynamics, the study reveals that driving conflict and undermining sustainable peace range from neo-patrimonial state practices, state elites’ interests, and systemic corruption, downgrading the key demographic groups and basic social and economic infrastructures.

Keywords: state fragility, governance, social infrastructure, social capital, state and leadership, traps and vulnerabilities, and theories.

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