I am these days in Nairobi, training a session about Conflict Resolution for 17 Peace Builders from all over Africa, English and French speakers together, in this 19th University of Peace in Africa (UPA).
My doctoral thesis was interested in the emergence of a new paradigm: efficient forces capable of lastingly curbing destructive violence are of another nature, of another order than this. These non violent forces deserve, as such, to be qualified otherwise than by the formula « legitimate violence ». The issue is much deeper than the terminology. It is a question of knowing the nature of these so-called non-violent forces, and recognizing their qualities, their characteristics, distinct from violence.
Among these,
1. the forces of law, capable of outlawing violence;
2. sociopolitical forces, able to manage the conflict without it drifting into violence;
3. psychological and spiritual forces, able to create a good relationship between one another, by respecting each in their dignity and their deep truth.
