MANY of the countries on the African continent have been severely hit by

endless and senseless wars, tribal and other violence during the post independence period. Kenya has been one of the relatively peaceful countries even though there were a few infrequent periods of violence there.
However, recently it has been the scene of devastating violent attacks, as a weekend attack, on a Nairobi shopping mall that killed at least 72 people including a young and highly trained Trinidadian who opted to work in Kenya.
In Nairobi, experts from U.S., British, Israeli and other agencies have joined Kenyan officers investigating the Westgate mall where militants from the al Qaeda-aligned Somali group al Shabaab launched a well-planned assault on Saturday.
The high-impact attack has highlighted the reach of al Shabaab beyond Somalia, where Kenyan troops have joined other African forces, driving the group out of major urban areas, although it still controls swathes of the countryside.
The attack has dented Kenya’s image as a tourist destination, damaging a vital source of revenues and experts on Somalia and the region have said that the porous border has allowed Kenyan sympathisers of al Shabaab to cross into Somalia for training.
What is exactly the motive behind these violent attacks in Kenya is uncertain but what is certain it would have the population in fear and trepidation as well as harm to the country’s economy. However, the attack could possibly be linked to the fact that Kenyan security forces are a key ally in the fight against militant Islamism.
The countries of the African continent are home to some of the poorest people and violence and wars are the last it would want. In fact, violence and wars have significantly contributed to holding back socio-economic development despite the abundance of natural resources.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin in their article Africa ‘testing ground’ in bid to end poverty pointed out that significant progress has been made over the past 13 years in meeting the targets the international community has set for social and economic development by 2015.
They asserted: “Thanks to the collaborative efforts of government planning agencies, U.N. entities, global aid organisations, international foundations and civil society groups, half a billion fewer people now live in extreme poverty, four out of five children routinely get vaccinated for a variety of diseases, and deaths from malaria have fallen by one quarter.”
“Family planning programmes have helped slow population growth, contributing, in particular, to a significant reduction in fertility in the developing world. Maternal death has been reduced, and we are now saving the lives of about 3 million children every year who previously would have died from childhood illnesses. We are also providing primary education for a record number of boys and girls in the developing world.”
This progress is most welcome but if it is to be sustained, violence and wars have to come to an end. And therefore the international community should intensify its efforts to bring an end to the senseless violence enveloping the African continent.