This issue looks at ACCORD at Twenty Years’ and how it has evolved into an organisation that successfully promotes reflection, education and intervention in African conflicts. ‘Bridging the Gap: Conflict Resolution Practice and Research at ACCORD’ examines how ACCORD has attempted to bridge the gap between research and practice in conflict resolution. It considers the challenges that have been experienced in this regard and the lessons learned which can be taken forward by the organisation and the conflict resolution field as a whole. ‘ACCORD’s Peacemaking Work in Africa: Mediation Support Initiatives’ identifies specific cases where ACCORD has worked towards enhancing the effectiveness of peacemaking processes of the continental body and RECs. ‘An Overview of Peacekeeping in Africa in the Past Twenty Years (1992–2012)’ pays particular attention to the ways in which peacekeeping has effectively transformed within this system in the past twenty years. It also maps the broad trends which have characterised the nature of modern international peacekeeping operations. ‘Effective Peacebuilding Tools: Study Tours at ACCORD’ provides an overview of how a particular tool is designed to enhance the capacity of stakeholders in dealing with post-conflict societies. It highlights a specific pedagogical tool, namely study tours, analysing its benefits and potential impact on participants and their roles within overall peacebuilding processes. In particular, it identifies some common aspects of how participants benefited from the cross-cultural experience and how they have seen the applicability of the tool in their own contexts. ‘Burundi: The Path to Peace Consolidation’ looks at ACCORD’s experience in the Burundi peace process as well as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The issue also includes a fact file on Sierra Leone, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan.
