Peace across Africa cannot be achieved through top-down government approaches alone, but requires meaningful engagement and participation from grassroots communities and civil society actors. 

6 December 2024– A decade after the African Union’s ambitious Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want was adopted in 2015 with a vision of transforming the continent by its 100th anniversary including by silencing the guns – the reality remains stark: across the continent mostly young men continue to murder and injure other young men, in crimes, interpersonal disputes and conflicts. 

The latest data paints an alarming picture: Africa is the only region globally where murder rates are not just persistent ,but also rising. This trend is fueled by three key factors: 

1. A rapidly growing youth population with limited economic opportunities. 

2. Persistent and deepening social and economic inequalities. 

3. The increasingly devastating impacts of climate change. 

The proliferation of guns represents a particularly deadly threat. Designed to kill, guns make all forms of violence four to seven times more lethal compared to other weapons. Each gun represents not just a potential for immediate violence, but a long-term threat to community stability, economic development, and human security. 

The African Union Silencing the Guns in Africa Activism Guide, developed by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom’s Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace Initiative and Gun Free South Africa, is a resource for activists to help silence the guns across the continent.  

Containing comprehensive data on gun proliferation and its impacts and in-depth analysis of the interconnected factors driving violence the Guide includes over 40 strategic Ideas for Action that empower activists to: 

• Conduct critical research 

• Raise public awareness 

• Develop targeted advocacy strategies 

• Lobby for meaningful policy interventions 

By bridging the gap between research, activism, and policy engagement, the Guide recognises that peace across Africa cannot be achieved through top-down government approaches alone, but requires meaningful engagement and participation, including critique, from grassroots communities and civil society actors. 

Speaking at the launch of the Activism Guide, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the African Union High Representative for Silencing the Guns noted that “the guide elaborates on the concept of deep preferences, which accordingly helps us understand that while a young man can choose whether to act violently or to get or use a gun, his choice is shaped by bigger factors or structural drivers such as poverty, unemployment, chronic hunger, persistent inequality, and the effects of climate change. Addressing these root causes will help reduce conflicts, thereby silencing the guns.” 

Natalie Briggs, from New York University’s Center on International Cooperation (Pathfinders) noted that we must understand that violence is very much gendered, in this regard, she said that “an initial assessment of rates of violence can paint an inaccurate picture of the impact of violence towards women. Men are undoubtedly the most common victims and perpetrators of violence globally, especially when looking at rates of homicide. However, when taking into consideration rates of non-lethal assault, we see a more balanced picture and intimate partner violence is a particularly insidious type of violence that is particularly dangerous and almost exclusively targets women. And this leads to the death of a woman or girl every 10 minutes. For women, no place is less safe than their own homes. 60% of all femicides are perpetrated by intimate partners and family members, compared to 12% for men.”  

Joseph Dube, the Africa Coordinator of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), added that “women bear the heavy burden of psychological and economic impact when these young male family members are injured or killed. So that’s one of the key components that one wants to emphasize.” 

Claire Taylor, a researcher with Gun Free South Africa (GFSA) noted that, “we can’t silence the guns in Africa by focusing solely on top-down government interventions. For meaningful change to happen, for the guns to really be silenced, we have to engage communities, particularly communities that are being affected, because they’re the ones that are at the forefront. The Guide looks at ways to strengthen collaboration and partnerships both within civil society but also between civil society and government.” 

Click to read the guide

African Union Silencing the Guns in Africa: Activism Guide

Watch the launch webinar

Notes for editor 

WILPF: is a feminist peacebuilding membership organisation that was founded in 1915. Based in Geneva, it has over 40 sections globally. Its vision is a world free from violence and conflict.  

GFSA: Gun Free South Africa (GFSA) is an NGO working to reduce gun violence in South Africa through public policy advocacy, education, awareness and community mobilisation. 

For more information or interview requests contact: 

• Reem Abbas, Communications Coordinator for the Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace Initiative at the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom:  reem.abbas@wilpf.org 

• Claire Taylor, Researcher at Gun Free South Africa and author of the African Union Silencing the Guns in Africa Activism Guide: +27 (0)72-341-3898, claire@gfsa.org.za