At a time the world chooses war, Africa must choose wisdom

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OPINION

By Crispin Kaheru

There are moments in history when the world seems to lose its patience, and this feels like one of them. Turn on the news, and it reads like a running scoreboard of conflict. The rising tensions between Israel and Iran, the prolonged war in Ukraine, the devastation in Gaza, instability in Myanmar, the tragedy unfolding in Sudan and so on.

Conflict has become so frequent that it risks sounding routine, almost like weather updates. However, war is not a rain shower you wait out. It is destruction you carry for generations. In 2024 alone, the world recorded about 130 armed conflicts, more than double the number just 15 years before. If war were a business, it would be thriving. And maybe it is, for a few ‘clever’ people somewhere. But for ordinary people, it is a collapsing economy of loss, grief and missed futures.

At such a time, Africa must resist the temptation to add its voice to the chaos. Instead, we must become the calm presence in a noisy room, the one that reminds the world that there is another way to resolve disputes, and that strength is not always found in firepower, but in wisdom. I say this not as an abstract thinker, but as someone who has seen how fragile order can be. In our part of the world, peace is not a given. It is a daily effort. Yet even as Africa grapples with its own challenges, we often sit back and analyse global wars like seasoned commentators. The irony is that these are not even our wars. Still, we pay for them. When conflict erupts in the Middle East, fuel prices rise in Kampala. When tensions escalate elsewhere, fertiliser costs go up and a local farmer feels the heat. When powerful nations quarrel, African households adjust their budgets. That is why we cannot afford to romanticise war, even from a distance.

Here is the hard truth: We cannot preach peace abroad while tolerating instability at home. The Horn of Africa remains fragile, the Sahel is gripped by insurgency and countries like South Sudan, Nigeria, DR Congo and Mozambique continue to face cycles of violence.

If Africa seeks the moral authority to speak to the world, it must also first put its own house in order. Moral authority does not come from words. It comes from conduct.

And yet, there is a clear lesson before us. Peace works. It is not abstract. It is visible and measurable. Where there is stability, economies grow, roads are built, businesses expand and children remain in school. Even investors, often cautious by nature, begin to show confidence. Countries that have maintained relative calm, including Uganda, have registered steady progress across key sectors. Not because they are perfect, but because they have consistently chosen order over chaos. Peace may not make headlines, but it steadily improves lives. War makes noise, but it leaves very little standing.

This is where Africa has a unique opportunity. In a world that is increasingly tired of conflict, we, as Africa, can position ourselves as a continent that understands peace not as a catchphrase, but as a practice. We have experience in mediation, sometimes formal through the African Union, sometimes informal through elders and community systems. We know how to sit people down and talk, even when they would rather shout. It is not always neat. It is not always fast. But it works more often than not. And when you have 54 countries, hundreds of ethnic groups and countless political opinions, you either learn to coexist or you spend your entire life arguing. We have learnt, sometimes the hard way.

Therefore, African leaders must deliberately de-escalate internal tensions on the continent. Second, investment in peacebuilding institutions must be treated as seriously as defence budgets. Third, Africa must speak with one voice in global forums, advocating for diplomacy over militarisation. And f inally, we, as citizens, must reject the normalisation of violence, whether in politics, media or daily life. Peace is not just negotiated in boardrooms; it is practised in attitudes.

Africa, with all its scars and lessons, is uniquely positioned to play that role. But only if we choose it. Because if we do not, we risk becoming what we have long warned against. We have seen enough wars to last several lifetimes. The continent deserves a break. The world does not need another battlefield. It needs an example. Africa can be that example. But only if we choose wisdom.

The writer is a member of the Uganda Human Rights Commission