‘Accounting for violence in Eastern Congo: Young people’s narratives of war and peace in North and South Kivu’ intends to give a voice to young Congolese in this troubled region in the heart of Africa. It examines the way young people in the Kivu make sense of the prevalence of violence in their home-provinces and the solutions they envision for a peaceful future. ‘Mozambique’s peace decades since the end of the conflict: Inclusive or managed democracy?’ analyses Mozambique’s post-conflict democratisation and argues that Mozambique has become a ‘managed democracy’ in the new period. The article traces the trajectory of democratisation under the auspices of a liberal peace theoretical framework which was agreed upon in the General Peace Agreement ending the conflict in 1992. ‘Nigeria united in grief; divided in response: Religious terrorism, Boko Haram, and the dynamics of state response’ critically examines the current developments regarding the religious terrorism of Boko Haram, an extremist Islamist group, which operates largely in the north-east states of Nigeria. The article focuses analytic attention on how the Nigerian state has responded to the menacing threat of the group. ‘Popular dispute resolution mechanisms in Ethiopia: Trends, opportunities, challenges and prospects’ finds that high-ranking officials within the judiciary and executive, heads of some organisations, and certain researchers have acclaimed the harmonisation and application of the Popular Dispute Resolution Mechanisms (PDRMs) in Ethiopia’s justice system. ‘Ethiopian customary dispute resolution mechanisms: Forms of restorative justice?’ examines the legal, de jure, and factual, de facto, jurisdictions of Ethiopian customary dispute resolution mechanisms in resolving criminal matters, and explores whether they are compatible with the core values and principles of restorative justice. ‘Relevance of the law of international organisations in resolving international disputes: A review of the AU/ICC impasse’ examines the legal nature of the dispute between the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the African Union (AU), and observes that the core issue revolves around the arrest warrant issued by the Court for Al-Bashir. The paper argues that accordingly the ICC should change its approach to the arrest of certain officials in order to prevent facilitating the violation of the customary principles of diplomatic immunity in international law – which should have also been codified in treaties. The journal ends with a book review: Back from the brink: The 2008 mediation process and reforms in Kenya.
