The online EO Learning Programme—‘African Conflict and Politics’—was developed by international academics and practitioners to provide programme participants with the requisite understanding of the symbiotic linkages and relationships between politics and conflict, the development of conflict and war, the formulation of strategies, the mitigation of conflict and war, the importance of intelligence, and finally, the conduct of military operations for defensive, offensive and containment purposes, along with sound command and control.

As conflict and war remain extensions of politics, the linkages require a deeper understanding of geopolitics, state stability, its impact on security, and how African states can improve their security architecture and create the climate in which socio-economic development can, safely and securely, take place.

When diplomacy and politics fail, and conflict or war become inevitable, the state and in particular the armed forces, must be ready to uphold and defend the Constitution, the sovereignty and territoriality of the state, along with its citizens and their property.