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Drug Enforcement’s Pyrrhic Victory
Anine Kriegler, Intern, Corruption and Governance Division, ISS Cape Town
The relationship between law enforcement success and the drug trade is complicated. In the on going debate in South Africa about alternative approaches, the focus should be on scientific rigor rather than moralising.
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Reintegrating Ex-combatants in Vulnerable Environments: Evidence from Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan
Guy Lamb, Senior Research Fellow, Transnational Threats and International Crime, ISS Cape Town
The availability of suitable livelihood opportunities for ex-combatants is vital to the success of peace-building efforts after war. That is, in order to encourage ex-combatants not to re-militarise, an alternative and appealing means of making a legitimate living should be available.
Recent ISS research on the reintegration of ex-combatants in the conflict prone areas of the Central African Republic, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan found that the achievement of sustainable peace is a realistic possibility, so long as the process of ex-combatant reintegration into civilian life continues unabated.
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Senegal: Lessons Of Electoral Integrity
David Zounmenou, Senior Researcher and Refiloe Joala, Intern, Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis Division, ISS Pretoria
The recent controversy over the bid by Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade to hang onto power looked set to end in yet another electoral disaster in West Africa. Yet, the integrity of the electoral process seems to be a crucial mitigating factor. It is highly likely that Wade will be defeated in the second round of elections - a humiliating exit for a leader who fought all his life for democratic governance and peaceful power transition.
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DRC: The Forgotten Rape Capital of the World
Felicia Wairagu, Intern, Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis Division, ISS Nairobi
The prevalence of rape cases in the DRC is amongst the worst in the world. Unfortunately, the breakdown in law and order means that that most rape victims are left to fend for themselves. Meanwhile pronouncements from the international community have largely been ineffective. Coordinated responses to rape are vital, including working with victims and local communities to develop systems of protection.
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ISS Situation Report, 6 March 2012
Libya and the Responsibility to Protect, Ramesh Thakur
The application of the ‘responsibility to protect’ (R2P) norm to Libya
in 2011 was successful but controversial. For 350 years since
Westphalia, sovereignty functioned as institutionalised indifference.
International interventions in Kosovo and East Timor in 1999 broke that
mould and provided the backdrop to United Nations (UN) Secretary-General
Kofi Annan’s search for a new norm. With Canada’s help, an
international commission formulated the innovative principle of the
responsibility to protect
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ISS Seminar Report, Pretoria The Future Direction for UN-AU relations
The recent AU
Chairperson’s report on the UN-AU partnership as well as that of the UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon that was tabled at the United Nations Security
Council (UNSC) during January 2012, have indicated that a great deal of
importance has been accorded to developing a cohesive partnership between these
two organisations. The UN report aimed to delineate and define the UN`s
strategic vision for UN-AU cooperation and in so doing `assist the Security
Council and the AU Peace and Security Council in formulating cohesive positions
and strategies`.
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Peace and Security Council Report No 32
Senegal is the only
country in main land West Africa that has never experienced a military coup.
The country known for its mature democratic system and institutions now faces a
serious challenge as the opposition and civil society claim that President Abdoulaye Wade’s candidacy for a third term
breaches the constitution. The analysis of the presidential election in Senegal
looks at possible scenarios in the post-election period, in light of the
violence that preceded the recent election.
Mali is also faced with a Tuareg rebellion that has the potential to
derail the presidential election scheduled for April 2012. The violence in
Mali’s northern territory re-surfaced following the proliferation of Libyan weapons
and return of large numbers of former pro-Gaddafi combatants fleeing the
aftermath of the Libyan conflict. The analysis also looks at possible ways for the
African Union and regional and international actors to address the rising crisis
in Mali.
The Port Said football incident
that took the lives of more than seventy Egyptians at the beginning of February
2012 added more fuel to existing tensions and violence in Egypt. The subsequent
claims and counter claims about conspiracy theories and plots about the incident
further exhibit the deep rooted distrust and suspicion within Egypt’s political
milieu. The differences of opinion that exist among the ruling generals,
Egypt’s de facto government, and the
Islamist and secular liberal groups seeking power and change, is unlikely to be
resolved soon. The analysis sheds light on recent developments in Egypt as the
nation looks to the coming presidential elections and a new constitution later
this year.
While the focus of many
analysts was on the AU Commission elections, important elections that received
less attention were the elections for membership of the powerful Peace and
Security Council of the AU. The AU elected ten members of the
Peace and Security Council. The spotlight page of this edition discusses the
procedures and processes of the Peace and Security Council elections.
The Pan African Parliament (PAP), which ultimately
aspires to become the legislative body of the African Union, held its Sixth
Ordinary Session recently, coinciding with the 18th AU Assembly. The
PSC Retrospective examines the prospects concerning its transformation into a
legislative body.
Read the report...
Coming Soon to ISSAfricaTV on YouTube...
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