On Friday, September 21st marked the UN-endorsed International Day of Peace or World Peace Day.
The objective of the holiday is to encourage world peace and the cessation of war and violence.
The day was first observed in 1982 and has since been structured to feature a specific theme every year. This year’s theme is “The Right to Peace – The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70.”
According to the Global Peace Index (GPI), the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness, ten African countries were found to be more peaceful than about a third of Europe, including the United Kingdom and the U.S. Some African countries showed an improvement in the ranking but others dropped as shown below.
Half of the 44 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa is ranked above 100 most peaceful countries globally.
Among these nations are some cities that bore the brunt of various wars and conflicts. They were destroyed but were able to rebuild to become some of Africa’s peaceful and prosperous cities.
Hargeisa
According to international cities of peace and crazy tourist, Hargeisa is a safe bet when looking for a place to lodge or visit in Somaliland.
Hargeisa is the capital city of Somaliland and situated in the Marodi-Jeh region of the self-declared but internationally unrecognized Republic of Somaliland in the Horn of Africa.
It was among the cities in the country to suffer the consequences of the attempted 1978 coup d’etat against Major General Mohamed Siad Barre, who summarily executed people allegedly involved in the coup.
In the 1980s, it was captured by an insurgent group, leading to air strikes by government forces. The bombing raids and crossfire that followed not only killed many but also destroyed a big part of the city.
The city, which was part of the Adal Sultanate, started rebuilding after Somaliland declared itself an independent state in 1991 following the fall of Somalia’s central government at the start of the civil war.
Using funds from local entrepreneurs and remittances from the diaspora, the city received a facelift and has now become one of the cultural hubs in the region.
Goma
Despite being characterized as a country of darkness, the Democratic Republic of Congo is still a worthwhile place to visit, as advised by Rough Guides.
Once city to consider is Goma, located in the city of North Kivu province.
Goma has a tragic past. It was among the venues of the fight between factions loyal to President Mobutu Sese Seko and supporters of Laurent Kabila in the First Congo War, which ended in 1997. A year later, the Second Congo War erupted and Goma was caught in the middle of it, causing the deaths of many civilians.
The city would face a few more conflicts and natural disasters including an uprising of a guerrilla group in 2012 and a volcanic eruption in 2016.
However, peace has been restored and the economy is on the upsurge.
Some points of interest are Lake Kivu and Virunga National Park.
BY FARIDA DAWKINS
