TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE IN AFRICA, A BRIEF SURVEY OF THE DYNAMICS

Abstract

Justice is necessary in order to instil peace and order in any given community, however, the effectiveness and ability for justice to prevail is not always guaranteed, particular in states and societies that emerge in the wake of insecurities, hardship and wars. In such situations, the kind of justice which prevails is known as transitional justice. Transitional justice is a form of administering justice in a particular and fragile context. This sort of justice has constantly prevailed on the African continent for over 3 decades due to insecurities and conflicts within its various countries. This paper will attempt first attempt to make sense of the concept of transitional justice relying from institutional perspectives notably that of the United Nations and the African Union. Next, the work will map out some of dynamics in terms of practice and administration of transitional justice in Africa with an analysis of various forms and occurrences in different countries. It will continue discuss different transitional justice practices after violence and conflicts in 3 different case studies. Finally, in conclusion, the paper proposes some way forward cognizance of the two predominant perspectives of transitional justice on the African continent.