Africa is plagued by war. For centuries, a particular type of conflict, where one side tries to be more horrific than the other, has raged through the continent. The result, poverty for all concerned. Is there a solution? Aid initiatives have focused on supplying food to the starving millions. Although welcome, food aid fails to address the underlying cause of instability in the region:War!.
Why is there so much fighting in Africa? Answer, is too easy to start a conflict. There is not enough incentive not to fight. The armaments possessed by many African nations are outdated. Warmongers do not see the aging weapons of their opponents as threatening enough. If, however, African states had weapons that posed a greater threat, fewer disputes would be resolved through fighting.
If conflict does occur in Africa, then its outcome must be decisive. Why, because prolonged fighting has a detrimental impact on the wider population. To do this, not only do African countries need better weapons, but the nature of war needs to change. In the 21st century it is no longer acceptable to fight using the ancient "A tries to outdo B by being more horrific" culture of conflict mentioned above. The machete must go! Adherence to the Geneva convention is one way of enforcing change. A better method is to have an updated Pan African agreement on how wars should be conducted on the continent, with severe penalties for those who default.
Many African conflicts occur within member nations. These skirmishes are less likely to happen if insurgents see that there parent governments have superior firepower. In turn, internal disputes have a better chance of being resolved via peaceful means.
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