The period since the 1990s has been called the age of national human rights institutions. During this time, the world has witnessed a rapid proliferation of state-sponsored bodies mandated to protect and promote human rights. One kind of institution has become particularly popular: the national human rights commission. In Africa alone, the number of human rights commissions has grown exponentially.
This volume seeks to explore the role of human rights commissions with respect to conflict management and peacebuilding in Africa. Through case studies of the national human rights institutions of Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Tanzania, it examines how these commissions address conflicts related to rights, and how they function in environments characterised by different forms and levels of societal conflict. It also considers how the human rights protection and promotion work undertaken by such bodies impacts on conflict issues, and whether this work may constructively contribute to peace.