Peacekeeping Successes and Failures in Africa
When the colonial order ended in Africa, a myriad of problems confronted the new African nations. According to a recent study 16 wars took place between 1990 and 1997 in Africa.
When the colonial order ended in Africa, a myriad of problems
confronted the new African nations. According to a recent study 16 wars
took place between 1990 and 1997 in Africa. Of these, 14 were
intrastate conflicts (Algeria, Angola, Chad, Ethiopia, Liberia,
Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda,
Western Sahara, and the Republic of Congo). Only 2 were interstate
(Chad/Libya and Rwanda/Uganda).
In the 1990s US President George Bush Snr. announced the so-called
“New World Order.” As a result, he charted a new world security
framework that called for United States leadership in international
affairs while proposing an expanded use of the offices of the United
Nations (UN) to endorse peacekeeping and peace building around the
world. During the same period, the UN deployed 32 peacekeeping missions
in the world, 13 were in Africa.
However, peacekeeping and peace building undertaken by the UN and the
Security Council historically, has had mixed results. The deployment
of UN peacekeeping troops has tended to be both tortuous and highly
problematic because decisions to deploy peacekeeping forces cannot be
made without the unanimity of the Security Council’s five permanent
members (the United States, Great Britain, France Russia and China).
This has made rapid deployment of UN forces very often impossible.
In addition, the UN peacekeeping missions in Africa did not last long
as a result of the Somalia fiasko in the 1990s. Led by the United
States, the UN deployed peacekeeping and peace building troops in
Somalia in December 1992, calling it Operation Restore Hope. In 1993,
the United States withdrew its forces after 18 of its soldiers were
killed during military operations there. Following the withdrawal of
the United States, the larger UN operation failed and Somalia remains a
nonexistent or failed state and became a threat not only for its own
citizens but also for neighboring states.
Prominent peace operations do take place in Europe, Asia, and the
Middle East, and all encounter challenges that impede their performance.
One may say in Africa these issues are compounded by serious
logistical challenges combined with weak commitments from troop
contributors that slowed the pace of peacekeeping growth. The number of
UN forces in Africa actually declined in the period between October
2006 and October 2007. While these could be some of the reasons why
peacekeeping operation in Africa didn’t achieve their goals, other
factors may also play a role in peacekeeping in Africa. Though conflict
was, in some cases, prevented through intervention, often the solution
imposed was a military solution without addressing the underlying issues
of Africa’s conflicts. International players such as the UN, the
European Union, and the African Union are paying too much attention to
peacekeeping and peace building, while none seems to pay much attention
in the origins of the conflict in different parts of Africa such as
disputes over either grazing land or seasonal water for pastoral
communities. Recovering from violent conflict is also neglected by the
international community.
Rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructure is urgently
needed after violent conflict. In recent decades the growth of urban
populations has been tremendous in African countries. Water supply,
power supply, transport systems, offices and houses are quickly made
inoperable or destroyed, but are slow and costly to rebuild. In
addition, disruption of roads, bridges, ports and airfields impede
communication and distribution, and hinders integration and social
unity. Beyond this, conflict destroys the networks for political and
social cohesion. In order to re-establish and maintain peace these also
need to be rebuilt.
Finally, since post-conflict peacebuilding is a new beginning,
punishment and pardon must be used carefully, so as not to rekindle
flames of hostility. Likewise, reintegration programmes need to promote
education, employment and social equity, or they will not have the
desired impact. Much of the failure to engage seriously the security
problems of Africa or to come up with solutions stems from the failure
to deal effectively with human security.
A recent example, from Liberia, was the launching of an effort
together with 353 schools, colleges and other institutions to provide
formal education to 20 000 disarmed former combatants as part of the
country’s Disarmament, Demobilization, Rehabilitation and Reintegration
(DDRR) programme. It is designed to reshape their lives, help them get
jobs, and give them a chance to be part of a better future for Liberia
is a step forward.
Moreover, over the past three years, the ambitious dream of a
comprehensive security architecture has been taking shape at a
remarkable pace and the AU has become deeply involved in the continent’s
manifold security problems by building on the experiences and relying
on the resources of the regional organizations.
In Burundi, for example, the African Union Mission (AMIB) stabilized
the fragile situation and prepared the ground for a subsequent UN
peacekeeping operation.
In Darfur, the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) has, despite
severe financial and logistical difficulties, done remarkably well in
alleviating widespread suffering and containing a conflict in which no
one else seems prepared to intervene. While all of these examples
testify to the AU’s dedicated efforts to develop a continental capacity
for peace operations, the most telling indicator of the AU’s commitment
is its rapid progress in establishing the African Standby Force (ASF).
Dr Debay Tadesse, Senior Researcher, Conflict Prevention Programme, ISS Addis Ababa
