Urban violence in Africa south of the Sahara is quite new, and colonial representations of the city have influenced the analysis of it after independence, which has had significant consequences on penal policies. Today, research on this issue still faces difficulties in terms of unreliable statistical data, the confusion between political and criminal violence, and stereotypes on slums and Africans. The “plot theory” is inadequate because it emphasizes the role of external global factors, such as international conspiracies, and minimizes the local factors that produce violence. However, research improved when it started to study the consequences of urban violence and not only its causes.