Resolving Conflicts in Africa’s Democratic Setting: Exploring the Role of the African Union

Elections have become an indispensable aspect of Africa’s democracy and a strategy for choosing the people to govern states. Unfortunately, due to certain factors, including the quest for political power, which gives access to the treasury and the resource-endowment of the commonwealth, political actors, supported by their political parties have frequently resorted to violence during elections. The paper seeks to interrogate the multifaceted issues around elections and very importantly, electoral violence in Africa’s democratic environment. To achieve this objective, the paper will make a case study of Nigeria and Kenya as classical models of electoral violence. The choice is driven by the understanding that primordial imperatives are often mobilised as drivers of political violence in Africa’s democratic practice. To assemble its resources, the paper used the content analysis of relevant materials in the social sciences and humanities. In conclusion, the paper suggests the active participation of the African Union in the resolution of Africa’s security challenges.