| Publication |
2008.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Peace work is big business along the Kenya-Uganda border. Each year, new groups are created thanks to the generosity of major donors while others disappear due to corruption and mismanagement. This cycle has continued for decades and, despite an absence of tangible results, millions of dollars continue to flow into the bank accounts of peace groups in the North Rift. As the first part of this article suggests, the focus on the so-called 'root causes' of violence may well be responsible for the dismal performance of the peace industry. However, the behaviour of peace NGOs in the field has been appalling. Peace meetings are often only held so NGOs can display an engagement with the conflict, despite the dangers created by such events. Other groups are dominated by politicians who use money earmarked for peace work to fund their political ambitions. Better monitoring is the obvious solution, but local groups have been able to avoid this by exaggerating the security risks of visiting the region. Others argue that offloading peace work responsibilities to CBOs might lead to better results, but in the highly ethnicized North Rift smaller groups are rarely able to transcend their local roots. This article concludes that the peace industry is deeply flawed, and requires a complete overhaul in order to have a beneficial impact on the region.
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