The AU and the ICGLR in Burundi

Why was the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region unable to tackle the conflict at its nascent stage?

The crisis in Burundi – which was brought on by the president’s decision to run for a third term – was a significant test of regional and continental organisations’ ability to effectively intervene in African member states experiencing instability.

Issues of coordination and cooperation across organisations have emerged as a key obstacle, but it is the lack of political will of African states to sanction their peers that is the greatest barrier to tackling the instability that frequently arises when incumbents choose to alter term limits.

About the authors

Nelson Alusala is a research consultant at the Institute for Security Studies. He holds a Phd in political sciences from the University of Pretoria. He previously worked for the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and has also undertaken research on disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) in various contexts in Africa, including in Mozambique and Liberia. He remains engaged in similar initiatives, with a special focus on Africa.

Yann Bedzigui is a Researcher with the Peace and Security Research programme. He works on the PSC Report, a project based in the ISS Addis Ababa office. Before joining the ISS, he was an assistant researcher in the Dakar office of International Crisis Group. Yann was a research fellow at Centre Thucydide at the Université Panthéon-Assas where he gained his Phd in International Relations. His work addresses the management of issues peace, security and governance in Africa through the regional frameworks.