From AMIB to AMISOM: The need for institutional and mandate clarity in APSA

This paper analyses some of the practices in AU-led peace missions in light of the AU normative framework.

APSA is a holistic framework that has permanent bodies set up to deal with every area of its peace and security activities. This paper analyses some of the practices in AU-led peace missions in light of the AU normative framework in a way that informs the challenges of APSA’s institutional future. While APSA is both a highly complex and an evolving legal and institutional framework, there are some critical constraints that APSA faces as it continues to provide a framework for engaging in the continent’s conflicts. By providing an in-depth examination of some AU peace operations (from AMIB in Burundi to AMISOM in Somalia), the paper is aimed at stimulating debate on the importance, for APSA, of achieving mandate and institutional clarity.

About the author:

Mohammud A Hussien is a senior lecturer in International Law at the Ethiopian Civil Service College and a PhD Fellow at the Institute of International Law of the University of Graz, Austria. He is research assistant to the university’s Professor Wolfgang Benedek on African Affairs and has served as a member of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia since 2007. He has published a dozen peerreviewed articles and book chapters on constitutional and international law issues. His areas of interest include international law of peace and security, law of international organisations, international human rights law and human security.