Preventing conflict in Central Africa: ECCAS caught between ambitions, challenges and reality

ECCAS' ambitious plans, state-focused structure and militaristic approach may be undermining its ability to address regional peace and security crises.

The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) has a long way to go in preventing regional crises. Many challenges remain in making the infrastructure (especially the Central African Early Warning Mechanism and the Central African Multinational Force) operational and effective, and there is a gap between ambition and reality.

These obstacles and challenges include ECCAS’ highly centralised and state-focused structure; a narrow, militaristic approach to security issues; and the wider institutional setting. Matters of responsibility in relation to the African Union also remain unresolved. With regard to the cross-border dimension of security issues and the high number of upcoming elections in the region, ECCAS’ participation in maintaining peace appears crucial.

About the author:

Angela Meyer is a researcher and expert on regional security cooperation in Central Africa. She is a board director and founding member of the Organisation for International Dialogue and Conflict Management (IDC) in Vienna, and holds a PhD in political sciences from Sciences-Po Paris and Vienna University. in 2015, Angela Meyer was a guest researcher in the Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis division at the Institute for Security Studies.