African Approach to Peace Keeping Operations

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AFRICAN APPROACH TO

PEACE KEEPING

OPERATIONS

PATRICK MALUKIUoN


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INTRODUCTION

Peace keeping in Africa. 1956 UN Emergency Force (UNEFI) was deployed to resolve the

Suez Canal crisis

United Nations Operations in Congo in 1960.

OAU led peace keeping in Chad between 1979 and 1982.

united Nations Angola verification missions (UNAVEM 1 & 11),

The united Nations Operations in Mozambique (UNUMOZ) and the

United Nations Transitional Assistance group in Namibia (UNTAG).


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IMPACT OF AFRICAN`S GEOPOLITICAL REALITIES TO

PEACE SUPPORT OPERATIONS.

The Berlin conference of 1885 divided Africa intomodern states imposing arbitrary boundariesthat did not represent existing social, politicaland economic realities of the African societies.

Unrelated and different people were arbitrary puttogether creating new national identities whilebreaking old but important traditional affinities.

The colonial state never rested on socialcontract with the population as such it did notexist to provide services to the people.


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INDEPENDED AFRICAN STATES

In the 1960s when the majority of African statesgained independence the elites inherited stateswith weak political institutions.

State institutions of these independent stateswere designed for exploitation and repression.

They were also designed for domination and notlegitimate as such the modern African state wasa highly interventionist state.


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The task of national-building and state buildingsimultaneously pre-occupied these newly independentstates some threatening to tear apart along ethnic linesand others clamoring to be re-united with their kinsmen

in other states.

The situation was compounded by the organization ofAfrican Unitys (OAU) decision to accept the boundariesinherited by African states from the colonial authorities.

This shattered dreams of right to self-determination bymany African communities and the result has beenrecurring inter-state and intra-state conflicts.

INDEPENDED AFRICAN STATES Cont.


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IDEOLOGICAL APPRAOCHES

In Tanzania, Senegal, Zambia and Guinea politicalleaders pursued African socialism to achievelegitimacy

In Mozambique, Angola and Ethiopia political leaderspursued scientific socialism to achieve legitimacy

In Burkina Faso, Libya and Ghana political leaders

pursued populism to achieve legitimacy

In Ivory Coast, Kenya and Nigeria political leaderspursued state capitalism to achieve legitimacy.


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STEPS TO GAIN LEGITIMACY

As a first step this included elimination of the opposition leaders.There were numerous political assassinations, which fueled ethnicfeelings, and the African state got divided into several nationsrepresented by tribes or clans.

Step two was centralization of power. In most African stateslegislative assemblies were subordinated and judicial systemsrendered insignificant by the executive arm of government.

Step three was establishment of personal rule. Most independenceheroes began to use physical coercion, to gain or remain in power,this encouraged factionalism.

Step four was use of clienteles. To remain in power personal rulersneeded more than coercion; they needed a loyal clique, whichinadvertently benefited from state resources. What began as politicalfavors ended up as grant state corruption to please the loyal clique.


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When the cold war ended in 1989 Africa wassuddenly left to fend for itself. But withoutexternal economic and political support thedictatorial regimes could not sustain thelifestyles to which they had becomeaccustomed.

Africa had lost its strategic importance to thewest and a number of African states wereengulfed in internal unrest and violent conflict.

END OF COLD WAR


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Generally the security situation in the continent was marked by: -

Collapse of state institutions as happened in Liberia, Somalia, SierraLeone and democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),

Increase in communal conflicts arising mainly from inter group rivalryand collapse of the old patterns of relationships

Proliferation and stock piling of small arms and light weapons

Conflict over ownership, management and control of natural resources

Rise in activities of terrorism, mercenaries warlords, militia groups andorganized criminal groups

New forms of security threat including money laundering, humantrafficking, drugs and cyber-crimes.

POST COLD WAR SECURITY SITUATION


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THE OAU MECHANISM FOR CONFLICT PREVENTION,

MANAGEMENT AND RESOLUTION.

29th Ordinary Session of Assembly of Heads ofstates and government in June 1993 in Cairo,Egypt created the OAU mechanism

The primary objective of this mechanism was theanticipation and prevention of conflicts.

Undertake peacekeeping and peace buildingfunctions to resolve the conflict.

In such cases OAU civilian and military observer/monitoring missions were to be deployed.


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OAU was converted into African Union (AU) by

the 1999 Extraordinary Summit in SirteLibya

The elimination of conflicts in Africa was put asone of its main purposes.

This function was to undertaken by the newlycreated 15-member AU Peace and Security

Council (PSC)

THE AFRICAN UNION


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The PSC is supported by :-

The African Standby force (to deal with peace keeping supportoperations)

The Panel of the Wise

The Continental Early Warning System (CEWS)

And the Peace Fund (to garner necessary resources for thepromotion of peace and security).

In 2001 an African regional workshop was held inJohannesburg-South Africa to reflect on findings of the

2000 Brahimi report.

It was felt that the UN dominated by the Security Counciland the Security Council dominated by the United Stateslacked the political commitment and will to meaningfully

engage African conflicts.

THE AFRICAN UNION Cont.


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AU summit of July 2003 in Maputo,

Mozambique adopted decision Assembly

/AU/REC/611 which authorized the

establishment of the African standby forceand the military staff committee.

Regional and sub-regional organizationsare to be strengthened to act as pillars of

peacekeeping capacity building in Africa.

AFRICAN STANDBY FORCE


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OPERATIONALIZATION OF THE AFRICAN

STAND BY FORCE (ASF)

The ASF is intended to support peace processes andprovide a holding intervention pending the deployment ofa UN Security Council mandated peacekeeping force.

Two phases of establishment

During phase 1: lasting up to June 2005 the AU would establisha strategic management capacity for the management of aregional observer mission co-deployed with UN missions.Similarly, the regional economic communities are to establishregional forces up to brigade level.

During Phase 11: (1st May 200530th June 2010) AU shouldhave developed the capacity to manage complex peacekeepingoperations while the REC, continue to develop capacity todeploy regional peacekeeping force under Chapter VI,preventive missions as well as peace building missions.


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REGIONAL BRIGADES

Five regional brigades corresponding to the Africanregional economic communities have been created.

The Eastern African standby brigade (EASBRIG)

The Southern African standby Brigade (SASBRIG)

The Western African Standby Brigade (WASBRIG)

The Central African standby Brigade (EASBRIG)

The Northern African standby Brigade (NASBRIG).

The regional brigades consists of standby multi-disciplinary contingents with civilian and militarycomponents located in their countries of origin and readyfor rapid deployment anywhere in Africa at appropriatenotice.


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ASF FORCE STRUCTURE

The ASF structures are informed by the following conflictscenarios:- Scenario 1: here the force structure will involve simple

AU/Regional advice to political mission such as the one mountedin ivory Coast in 2005 .In such case ASF deployment would berequired within 30 days from AU mandate resolution.

Scenario 2: Force will involve AU/regional observer mission co-deployed with a UN mission e.g. the OAU /AU liaison mission inEthiopia-Eritrea (UNMEE) or the Verification Monitoring Team(VMT) in the Sudan. In such a case ASF deployment is requiredwithin 30 days from an AU mandate resolution.

Scenario 3: Force structure will involve stand-alone AU/Regionalobserver mission as the AU mission in Burundi (AMIB) or AUmission in Comoros (AMIC). ASF deployment is requiredwithin 30 days from AU mandate resolution.


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Scenario 4: the force structure would involve AU/Regionalpeacekeeping force for chapter six and preventive deploymentmissions. Similarly the ASF deployment is required within 30days from AU mandate resolution.

Scenario 5: Force structure will involve AU peace keeping forcee.g. for complex multi dimensional peace keeping missionsincluding those with low-level spoilers. ASF completedeployment is required within 90 days from an AU mandateresolution but with a military component being able to deploy in30 days.

Scenario 6: Force structure will involve AU intervention force e.g.in genocide situations where the international community doesnot act promptly, AU should have the capability to deploy arobust military force in 14 days.

ASF FORCE STRUCTURE

Cont


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Documents

African Approach to Peace Keeping Operations