AllAfrica's series with African peacebuilders and researchers kicks off with a focus on three areas: a country pursuing stability after decades of war, and two areas in which conflict - rooted in local conditions but influenced by outside actors - has been escalating. The discussion deals with:

South Sudan, in eastern Africa, where the young nation's citizens desperately hope peace initiatives will take root;

The Sahel region in West Africa, where insurgencies across four nations have highlighted the role of cross-border and international militants and generated a security-based response from western powers;

and Mozambique in Southern Africa, where more limited interest from Middle Eastern militants in a domestic insurgency is attracting Western concern. 

AllAfrica's reporting on peacebuilding across Africa is supported by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, philanthropy supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and strengthening international peace and security.