Research On The NGOs Of Conflict Resolution In Africa After The Cold-war

After the cold war, the conflicts of tribe, ethnicity, territory and religion, which had been restrained and covered for a long time, were increasingly getting worse in Africa. With the outbreak of conflicts, the United Nations, the African Union and other international organizations gradually reveals a lack of capacity and limited resources in resolving regional conflicts in Africa. During the same time, the NGOs with its own advantages play an important role in conflict resolution, such as going deep into the grass-roots of the conflict areas, having a clear orientation and pure motives, taking more flexible actions, enabling to make up of lack of functions of government, etc.NGOs as the "Third Force", which beyond the countries and international organizations, plays a vital role in the whole process of conflicts resolution. NGOs come up with the peace initiatives against the crisis for the sake of early warning, as well as report the situation of the conflicts to prevent the worse. Furthermore, NGOs involving in conflict mediation, as the mediator taking initiatives to mediate the conflicting parties in term of the track-two-diplomacy, the third party supervising and a variety of ways. They also offer the humanitarian relief in the place where the conflicts took place, which afford emergency rescue and the support in technology for refugees and victims. Owing to its rich experience in rescue, they make the whole process of rescue rapidly and efficiently. In post-conflict, NGOs committed to post-war reconstruction in applying the victims in the conflict areas with the basic needs and social infrastructure reconstruction. In addition, NGO plays a important role in the protection of human rights in clash areas. Moreover, during conflict resolution, NGOs continue to strengthen the cooperation with the United Nations, governments, and international governmental organizations so as to deal with the conflicts in Africa deeply and completely.Although NGOs’capacity of participating in resolving conflicts is increasing, there are still many limits to affect its role. Firstly, it is dramatically difficult to eradicate conflict with religions, tribes, ethnicities and so on. Secondly, NGOs are lacking of hard-power, susceptible to control by governments. Thirdly, NGOs is a non-profit organization, the main source of finance primarily depend on external funding, leading to the limited of the decision-making autonomy and sustainability. Fourthly, There is no mandatory right for NGOs without any military and political functions to intervene in within the scope of any national sovereignty. What NGOs could do was mainly in humanitarian and moral aid. Last, NGOs in conflict management of Africa have the characteristic of coexistence of indigenous and externals. Its contradictions tend to become the development of non-governmental organizations’fundamental issues. Hence, NGOs should assist the UN, AU, and local government positively in terms of various ways to cooperate in order to deal with conflicts in Africa.