Monograph 135: Challenges to Security Sector Reform in the Horn of Africa, Edited by Len le Roux and Yemane Kidane

The keynote speech was delivered by Geofrey Mugumya, Director Peace and Security of the African Union Commission, with the theme of ‘Security for whom’. This served as a launching pad for further discussions on SSR in Africa and specifically the Horn of Africa. He defined SSR, with a special emphasis on evaluating risks and threats (both real and perceived), and also listed possible reforms. He noted that because military and security institutions and services constitute the instruments of violence of the state, this necessitates proper governance and regulation; informed and active legislatures; clear governmental policy frameworks and laws; effective civilian executive authorities; and active civil societies to hold the sector accountable. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that security institutions are governed according to the principles of democratic control and accountability. He ended his presentation by identifying the goals of the conference, namely to further the agenda for long-term SSR in the Horn and to further the establishment of a network to enhance such a process.

The workshop recognised that SSR programmes were being implemented in many African countries and that lessons from these reform programmes should be studied with a view to addressing future SSR in the Horn region. For this reason some comparative studies from West and Southern Africa were presented. The real need to change the way that threats are perceived by African politicians and the people they govern was also noted. When addressing SSR, it is important that one should constantly bear in mind the question, ‘Security for whom’. Therefore SSR should not only focus on security issues at national and state level, but also on security of individual persons – the security of the people of Africa. Within this paradigm, the workshop discussed the challenges and constraints that are commonly faced and often experienced in a number of African countries in general and the Horn of Africa in particular. Some recommendations and suggestions were put forward for discussion in tackling the challenges, so that SSR could result in sustainable establishments, processes and programmes delivering security to all the people of Africa.

Most of the experiences were presented in the form of papers, backed up with slide presentations, and discussions were held at the end of every plenary session. The CPRD and ISS have already published a report on the workshop and this is available on their respective websites (see the inside front cover for website details). Hard copies can also be obtained from both organisations. This monograph contains five of the papers that were presented.

The CPRD and ISS are both committed to continuing research in the field of SSR in the Horn of Africa and in supporting national governments and regional organisations in furthering the important and essential work on SSR. It is in this spirit that this monograph is published: to provide insight into some comparative experiences from West and Southern Africa and to highlight some of the challenges facing the Horn of Africa region as regards SSR.

The workshop was made possible by funding from the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom through its office in Addis Ababa.