Post-conflict Countries Research Articles

Barriers to Clean and Safe Water Access in Juba: AA-QQ-RD Framework on SDG 6 in South Sudan

Juba, the capital city of South Sudan while, presenting a unique case as a rapidly growing city in a post-conflict country, its water infrastructure has been severely affected by decades of conflict, leaving it inadequate and underdeveloped. This study was conducted with the main objective of establishing factors causing the inadequacy of clean and safe water among households in Juba City. This study employed a proposed AA-QQ-RD (Availability, Affordability, Quality, Quantity, Reliability, and Distance) framework. The research employed a qualitative methodology, gathering data through in-depth interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with household heads, government officials, and community leaders. The findings reveal significant challenges across all components of the AA-QQ-RD model. Availability of water is severely impacted by poor infrastructure which collectively disrupt water distribution while affordability issues arise from the high cost of water. In addition, water quality is compromised at multiple stages posing serious health risks while quantity of water is insufficient, particularly in larger households and densely populated areas. Further, reliability is undermined by irregular water supply and frequent service interruptions whereas distance to the nearest water points is a significant barrier with many residents traveling long distances to fetch water. These findings underscore the need for comprehensive infrastructural improvements, effective regulatory frameworks, and community-driven initiatives to address these barriers. The study's implications for Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) highlight the critical need for coordinated efforts to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Exploring public cooperation with police: the role of police accountability, police effectiveness, and public trust

ABSTRACT Public cooperation with the police is crucial because the public acts as the eyes and ears of the police. Moreover, research on public cooperation with the police, including crime-reporting behaviours and willingness to cooperate with law enforcement agencies, remains scarce in post-conflict countries like Somalia. Therefore, this study investigates the roles of perceived police accountability and effectiveness in fostering public cooperation with the police in Somalia via the underlying mechanisms of public trust in the police. Data were collected from a sample of 470 respondents in Mogadishu, Somalia. The analysis employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the proposed model. The study found that police accountability has indirectly and positively impacted public cooperation via public trust in police. Moreover, public trust in police positively and significantly impacts public cooperation with the police. The findings also revealed that police effectiveness, directly and indirectly, impacts public cooperation with the police.

Mental health landscape in Kosova from 2017 to 2022: A retrospective study of antidepressant and anxiolytic market trends and the impact of COVID-19

ObjectivesThis study explores the mental health situation in Kosova and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsMarketed quantities of antidepressants (N06A) and anxiolytics (N05B) from 2017 to 2022 were analyzed using the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Doses (ATC/DDD) methodology. Caution is advised as these quantities may not directly reflect patient usage and could include uses for conditions outside their primary indications. ResultsPrior to the pandemic, antidepressant quantities remained relatively stable, but rose from 6.8 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day in 2019 to 9.7 in 2020 and 12.4 in 2021, before returning to pre-pandemic levels of 6.8 DDD in 2022. Over 80 % of these were selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Meanwhile, anxiolytic quantities initially decreased from 17.4 DDD in 2017 to 9.9 in 2019, then rebounded to 17.9 DDD in 2020. Notably, alprazolam usage surged from 2.9 in 2017 to 6.9 in 2021, subsequently dropping to 2.0 in 2022. ConclusionsThe volatile trends in medication quantities during the pandemic suggest a fragile mental health landscape in Kosova—a developing, post-conflict country with a youthful population—underscoring the need for proactive interventions in similar contexts globally.

Sexual violence against liberian school girls: White benevolence, anti-black racism, and colonial continuities in post conflict recovery

This article addresses the practices of white benevolence as it (re)produces anti-Black racism in the post-conflict country of Liberia. This is undertaken through an analysis of the ProPublica documentary “Unprotected” which chronicles sexual violence against Liberian girls at the More Than Me Academy, linked to the broader practices of gendered colonialism and racism. More than Me was founded in 2008 by Katie Meyler, a young, white American woman, to save Liberian school girls from sexual exploitation by providing them with educational opportunities; but the school became a hunting ground for sexual gender-based violence for which those in charge claimed ignorance. Katie Meyler and More than Me can be placed in the longer, iterative history of colonialism that unfold(ed) in discourses and practices of white benevolence such that structural forms of anti-Black violence are both obscured and tolerated. Furthermore, the article addresses the social reproductive work undertaken by Liberian women, especially those who were at the forefront of mass protests to end the civil war (1989-2003), and who continue to prioritize education and gender equality, viewed as central to sustainable peace and transitional justice.

Navigating Gender and Sectarian Affiliation: An Analysis of Young Voters’ Bias Against Female Politicians in Lebanon

In May 2018, a record-breaking number of 86 women candidates ran for parliamentary elections in Lebanon, a country with a power-sharing, consociational, sect-based system that guarantees the representation of 18 legally recognized sects (i.e. religious confessions). Yet, only six women were elected. This article explores whether and how sectarianism trumps gender and support for female candidates in general in vote intention. In doing so, it addresses the interaction between sectarian/ethnic and gender voting in contexts where both identities intersect. This intersection emerges when vote intention is influenced by factors that stem from the patriarchal nature of society and structures of sectarianism, creating interdependent systems of disadvantage. Building on a countrywide pre-electoral survey on the attitudes of young voters in Lebanon, I test ethnic voting and gender-affinity theories and develop fine-grained conceptual links between gender and the wider norms of inclusion and exclusion under sectarian-based political systems in post-conflict countries.

Not for us? Vocational training in the social and policy space in Sierra Leone

PurposeThis paper explores the attractiveness of TVET in Sierra Leone, a post-conflict West African country. It aims to unpack structural factors which contribute to the low repute of TVET.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses qualitative interviews with employers, government and third sector organisations, focus group discussions with young Sierra Leoneans and analysis of key government policy documents. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, and the empirical analysis is grounded in Social Learning Theory of Career Decision Making and Social Cognitive Career Theory. The paper is interdisciplinary, drawing on literature from economics, psychology, political science and development studies.FindingsThe paper argues that TVET is in low repute in Sierra Leone owing to low prioritisation by the national government in terms of policy focus, budgetary allocations and provision of training facilities; the proliferation and continuation of a post-war style of TVET programmes by development partners which initially targeted ex-combatants and thus carry reputational baggage; and colonial legacies of preferences for university education and white-collar jobs.Originality/valueThe research contributes to the academic and policy discourse by providing new empirical insights from an under-studied country (and region), and arguably one where evidence-based policy is much needed.

Making or breaking the cycle of corruption: Exploring the impact of transitional justice on corruption in postconflict countries

Does the implementation of transitional justice (TJ) mechanisms such as trials, truth commissions, and institutional reforms reduce corruption by enhancing accountability, building trust, and creating a culture of deterrence? Although prior work has studied whether economic crimes should be included in TJ agendas, TJ’s potential to address corruption has been mostly overlooked. On the one hand, theory suggests that TJ could reduce corruption; yet, on the other, it indicates that TJ mechanisms are not effective enough at solving deep-rooted corruption. Testing these opposing arguments using data from 106 postconflict countries that experienced conflict between 1946 and 2006, I find that the implementation of TJ and corruption are not statistically associated. However, when I further investigate this relationship with only “well-implemented” TJ mechanisms, purges are found to be negatively associated with political corruption and amnesties are positively associated with regime corruption.

The impact of thin and thick truth: The limits of truth commission design in polarized societies

Dealing with the legacy of the past has become a popular demand in postconflict and posttransition countries. However, the pursuit of truth can be a divisive issue that threatens rather than promotes understanding, particularly in divided societies. Would a minimalist truth satisfy the victim-centered right to know, without disturbing delicate balances in society? This article theorizes how different designs of truth commissions impact social outcomes, contrasting two ideal types: thin truth, which gives solely individual factual knowledge, and thick truth, which produces a public report and searches for a pattern of events. We look at the case of Spain, which long used a “policy of forgetting” to deal with the crimes of the Civil War and Franco dictatorship and where the politics of memory has become a partisan issue, and embed experimental treatments into a representative survey conducted in 2021. Our findings show that restricting truth brings no advantages, as the different designs have no significant impact on the highly polarized reactions. The research has implications for policy by showing how different truth commission formats (fail to) impact on reconciliation.

Public preferences of environmental peacebuilding: The case of forest conservation projects in Colombia

To date, no studies have examined the nationwide support for environmental peacebuilding projects in post-conflict countries, that is, projects that seek to use the management of natural resources as a way of fostering peace and cooperation. However, public support can be crucial for the legitimacy and effectiveness of these projects. This article aims to address this gap by exploring which project characteristics influence public support for environmental peacebuilding projects. It does so through a conjoint experiment in Colombia with 1,504 survey respondents, focusing on forest conservation projects. The findings indicate that provisions related to the reintegration of ex-combatants and the dialogue between victims and ex-combatants resonate positively with respondents. Participants from the political right or those opposed to the 2016 peace agreement were somewhat less responsive to this information. The most significant impact was observed with provisions for job creation and public investments that targeted the entire population. Based on these findings, we conclude that the inclusion of environmental peacebuilding provisions in forest conservation projects can increase public support for them in post-conflict countries.

Institutional governance and state-building in Somaliland

Governance is the combined principles of the effective rule of law within a framework of institutional capacity for legal entity, Institutional governance encompassed both administrative aspect and legal framework of institutional development linked with the state-building development. Institutional governance entails accountability, transparency to the demands of effective monitoring process, the aim of the paper is to know how institutional governance affect state-building in Somaliland, institution governance framework and the role of institutions to stat-building follow to accountability, transparency, rule of law and participation. The paper exams to understand the dynamics of institutional governance and state-building idea of governance in state-progress, state-building determinate, institutional Legal frameworks, discrepancies affecting institutions and the consequence. Somaliland is post-conflict country, the consequence from the destruction of infrastructural development brought some basic facilities including, peace, schools and institutional governance has destroyed, the paper presents the role of government bureaucrats (Civil Service)[1] in institutional building, peace restoration and institutional development, finally one of the ideas of paper discussed is the how citizens involved state-building and state-development. The Somaliland Civil Service Commission is a Somaliland government agency established in 1993 that oversees the employment of civil servants and lead reforms in Somaliland's decentralization process. The head of the agency is chairman and is appointed by the President of Somaliland.

Connecting the dots – poverty, marginality, and the production of aggression and violence in post-war Sierra Leone

ABSTRACT A good collection of existing literature provides limited reflection on classifying post-conflict countries as being ‘peaceful’. This is especially so, as the period following the end of a civil war is normally characterised, as a period of ‘peace’, thereby equating peace to the silence of the guns. Such an understanding of what constitutes peace in post-conflict settings is problematic. This is because, societies in transition, are usually plagued with a plethora of challenges, with the legacies of war normally shaping the resurgence of violence in other forms. Additionally, complex transitions of violence and aggression, which reflect the socio-economic and political gyrations of a society redefining itself, and reconstructing its values are seen in most post-conflict contexts. Thus, using the case of Sierra Leone, this paper argues that some post-conflict settings experience negative peace, and diverse forms of violence that usually render communities unsafe, insecure and not peaceful. Thus, boxing societies in a bracket of being peaceful, because of the end of a violent civil war, limits what peace means in a specific contextual sense. It even undermines the potential for a broader approach towards understanding how the emerging forms of violence and aggression could be addressed.

Intimate Partner Violence During a Public Health Crisis: Variations in Conflict and Post Conflict Contexts

This study draws on survey data collected in a country embroiled in war, Ukraine, and a post-conflict country, Guatemala, to examine the influence of traumatic events on intimate partner violence victimization. Logistic regression models revealed that experiencing pandemic stress (e.g., fears of the virus, vaccine issues, and health care concerns) and daily hassles (e.g., family issues, financial problems, and prejudice) increased the risk of physical and verbal abuse victimization in both countries. Exposure to crises such as war and genocide predicted the risk of physical abuse victimization in Guatemala. The effects of pandemic stress in Ukraine and exposure to crises in Guatemala on victimization were more pronounced among those with fewer daily hassles. Variations among demographic groups were also observed.

Network power and mental health policy in post-war Liberia.

This article traces the influence of network power on mental health policy in Liberia, a low-income, post-conflict West African country. Based on key informant interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis, the work uses an inductive approach to uncover how a network of civil society groups, government officials, diasporans and international NGOs shaped the passage, implementation and revision of the country's 2009 and 2016 mental health policies. With relations rooted in ties of information, expertise, resources, commitment and personal connections, the network coalesced around a key agent, the Carter Center, which connected members and guided initiatives. Network power was evident when these actors channelled expertise, shared narratives of post-war trauma and mental health as a human right, and financial resources to influence policy. Feedback loops appeared as policy implementation created new associations of mental health clinicians and service users, research entities and training institutes. These beneficiaries offered the network information from lived experiences, while also pressing their own interests in subsequent policy revisions. As the network expanded over time, some network members gained greater autonomy from the key agent. Network power outcomes included the creation of government mental health institutions, workforce development, increased public awareness, civil society mobilization and a line for mental health in the government budget, though concerns about network overstretch and key agent commitment emerged over time. The Liberian case illustrates how networks need not be inimical to development, and how network power may facilitate action on stigmatized, unpopular issues in contexts with low state capacity. A focus on network power in health shows how power can operate not only through discrete resources such as funding but also through the totality of assets that network linkages make possible.

Factors Influencing Climate Information Access of the Farmers in Hiran Region, Somalia

Purpose: Like other poor states and post-conflict countries, Somalia faces significant challenges in achieving the SDGs, particularly concerning food security. Because agricultural productivity is compromised, it immediately and significantly jeopardizes the nation's food security. Adapting to climate change can maximize its benefits and lessen many of its horrendous side effects. However, Somalia does not address or cover farmers' access to climatic information, which is important when organizing policy responses. This study's goal was to assess the variables that affect farmers in Somalia's Hiran region's ability to obtain climate information.
 Methodology: The target population of this study was smallholder farmers in the Hiran region, particularly in the Baladweyn and Bulaburte districts. Both purposive and random sampling were utilized. A questionnaire was used to gather data from 222 randomly chosen smallholder farmers as part of a survey research design. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to test the data using STATA and SPSS. The data was presented using tables and figures.
 Findings: Most farmers (78%) had access to climate information. The most common sources of information on climate crises were radio (95%), agricultural extension agents (80%), and firsthand observation (75%). Gender (p = 0.020), marital status (p = 0.036), education level (p = 0.047), farm size (p = 0.000), distance to the market (p = 0.000), and support from local and international agencies (p = 0.013) had a significant correlation with farmers access to climate information. The report advised Somalia's federal government and regional and foreign non-governmental organizations to proceed with intervention plans, focusing particularly on variables that were identified.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice, and Policy: Study outcomes contribute significant information to policymakers, professionals, and the federal government of Somalia to develop policies and regulations that are relevant to the farmer's needs to adapt to the negative impacts of climate crises. It will also lead to necessary coordination among different climate actors, stakeholders, and farming communities in the region to fill any climate information gap. This will finally allow farmers to access well-timed and dependable information regarding climate disasters.

Establishing a High-Quality Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Program in Post-Conflict Regions: A Model for Limited Resource Countries.

Congenital Heart Disease stands as a prominent cause of infant mortality, with notable disparities in surgical outcomes evident between high-income and low- to middle-income countries. This study presents a collaborative partnership between a local governmental entity and an international private organization to establish a high-quality Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Program in a post-conflict limited resource country, Iraq. A descriptive retrospective study analyzed pediatric cardiac surgery procedures performed by a visiting pediatric heart surgery team from October 2021 to October 2022, funded by the Ministry of Health (MOH). We used the STS-EACTS complexity scoring model (STAT) to assess mortality risks associated with surgical procedures. A total of 144 patients underwent 148 procedures. Infants comprised 58.3% of the patients. The most common anomalies included tetralogy of Fallot, ventricular septal defect, and various single ventricle categories, constituting 76% of the patient cohort. The overall surgical mortality rate was 4.1%, with an observed/expected surgical mortality rate of 1.1 (95% CI 0.5, 2.3). There was no significant difference between our observed surgical mortality in Category 2, 3, and 4 and those expected/reported by the STS-EACTS Database (p = 0.07, p = 0.72, and p = 0.12, respectively). The expenses incurred by the MOH for conducting surgeries in Iraq were lower than the alternative of sending patients abroad for the same procedures. The partnership model between a local public entity committed to infrastructure development and funding and an international private organization delivering clinical and training services can provide the foundation for building sustainable, high-quality in situ programs in upper-middle-income countries.

Congenital heart disease research landscape in the Arab world: a 25-year bibliometric review.

While research on congenital heart disease has been extensively conducted worldwide, comprehensive studies from developing countries and the Arab world remain scarce. This study aims to perform a bibliometric review of research on congenital heart disease in the Arab world from 1997 to 2022. We analyzed data from the Web of Science, encompassing various aspects such as topics, countries, research output, citations, authors, collaborations, and affiliations. This comprehensive science mapping analysis was done using the R statistical software's Bibliometrix Package. The research output from Arab countries over the 25 years showed an average annual growth rate of 11.5%. However, Arab countries exhibited lower research productivity than the United States and Europe, with a 24-fold difference. There was substantial variation in research output among 22 Arab countries, with five countries contributing to 78% of the total publications. Most of the published research was clinical, with limited innovative contributions and a preference for regional journals. High-income Arab countries displayed higher research productivity and citation rates than their low-income developing counterparts. Despite being categorized as upper-middle-income, post-conflict countries exhibited low research productivity. About one-quarter of the published articles (26%) resulted from collaborative efforts among multiple countries, with the United States being the most frequent collaborator. Enhanced research productivity and impact output were strongly associated with increased international cooperation. Research productivity in the Arab region closely correlates with a country's GDP. Success hinges on governmental support, funding, international collaboration, and a clear research vision. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, educational institutions, and governments to strengthen research programs and nurture a research culture.

THE PEACE, SECURITY, AND DEVELOPMENT NEXUS APPROACH TO ADDRESS VIOLENT CONFLICTS IN AFRICA

Peace, security, and development are the three most important pillars of a healthy social system. Although these concepts are independent of each other, they are mutually interlinked and complementary pillars of sustainable development and peace. Linking development, peacebuilding, and security promotion and integrating them into national strategies and planning processes in post-conflict African countries has the potential to create synergies and more effective policies that prevent relapses into conflict as well as address social and regional inequalities and vulnerabilities. This paper discusses some aspects of the development process in post-conflict countries in Africa based on the case studies of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and South Sudan.

MANAGING THE PROCESS OF THE SCHOOL BUILDING DELIVERY IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE WAR IN IRAQ

Like any post-conflict country, Iraq is facing difficulties when re-building schools. On the one hand these difficulties spring from the political, economic, social and administrative consequences of the prolonged armed conflict. Then in the other hand you have the structure and culture of the Iraqi society and its traditions and values that affect the administration and the decision-making issues. In other words, the problem that Iraq faces in terms of school-rebuilding is twofold. Firstly, conflict has left the country weakened as far as funds are concerned, politically torn, and economically vulnerable. Secondly, Iraqi culture is a collectivist culture which devotes loyalty to the group, tribe or sector rather than the public interest. The second problem has its roots in the Iraqi society, and it overshadows any step to be taken in rebuilding Iraqi society. Therefore, there is a need to establish a strategy of management of the school building delivery that enables Iraqi society to re-build schools in a way to overcome the challenges that have occurred after the conflict has ended and those which have been already present in the Iraqi society and whose impact has become worse after the end of conflict time. These problems also arise due to the mismanagement of funding, resources and people.

Memory in Transition: Enforced disappearance in the judgments of the Inter- American Court of Human Rights of postdictatorship and post-conflict countries

Este artículo aborda la relevancia de la memoria en los periodos de transición, centrándose en los conceptos de "derecho a la memoria" y "deber de memoria", argumentándose en favor de este último, pues no presenta contradicciones con otros derechos fundamentales. Se proponen cuatro categorías de medidas para analiza “el deber de memoria” en la jurisprudencia de la Corte Interamericana de DDHH en seis países latinoamericanos que experimentaron transiciones postdictadura o postconflicto. Así se analizaron 118 sentencias, dividiéndolas en dos grupos: casos de desaparición forzada (DF)y casos de otros crímenes. Los resultados revelan que la tipología del delito no configura un patrón uniforme en las medidas ordenadas, y que las categorías más frecuentes ordenadas relativas al “deber de memoria” son las medidas de esclarecimiento y divulgación de la verdad. Finalmente, se discuten como aspectos como el contexto y las legislaciones locales pueden explicar la ausencia de patrones de reparación para la DF.

ДЕМОГРАФІЧНИЙ РОЗВИТОК ПОСТКОНФЛІКТНИХ СУСПІЛЬСТВ: ДОСВІД КРАЇН КОЛИШНЬОЇ ЮГОСЛАВІЇ

The article shows the demographic losses of the states of the former Yugoslavia in the wars of the 1990s and analyzes the trends of the post-war demographic development of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovenia, and the partially recognized state of Kosovo. Before the start of the wars, the second demographic transition was largely completed in these countries, and the birth rate approached the average European value. There was no significant reduction in the total birth rate in the countries of the Balkan region during armed conflicts. Only in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, there was a noticeable decrease in the number of births due to large migratory losses of reproductive cohorts. The impact of the war was manifested in the accelerated transformation of the age-related birth rate, there was a decrease in the early birth rate against the background of an aging motherhood. It was established that in the post-war societies of the Balkan region, except Serbia, there was no compensatory increase in the birth rate. The birth rate in the countries of the former Yugoslavia changed synchronously with those European states that experienced deep economic crises or geopolitical transformations, in particular, joined the EU. Structural and demographic transformations in post-conflict societies are studied. It was found that during the war, the rate of decline in the share of the child population and the rate of demographic aging were higher than the European average. The long-term dynamics of the age structure of the population of the modern post-conflict countries of the former Yugoslavia do not differ in the main parameters from other European countries. It was established that the main factor in reducing the population of the region is forced external migration. The largest specific weight of emigrants from the number of permanent population is in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In these countries, unresolved ethnopolitical problems destabilize the development of society in general, negatively affect the processes of natural reproduction, and act as a deterrent to the return of migrants. Taking into account the analogies of the post-conflict societies of the Balkan region, as well as taking into account the crisis parameters of the demographic situation before the full-scale war of 2022, the scenarios of the demographic development of Ukraine are built. They are due exclusively to probable migration trends. Optimistic and pessimistic scenarios of the demographic development of Ukraine are determined by several external and internal factors. Recommendations regarding the basic principles of the policy of re-emigration of Ukrainian refugees have been provided.