Regionalisation of peacekeeping in Africa: towards the end of collective security?

The policy brief explores how the increasing involvement of neighbouring countries in crises is transforming peacekeeping in Africa.

Peace support operations in Africa increasingly tend to involve troops from neighbouring countries. While it is assumed that these countries have a better understanding of a crisis, their involvement often comes with challenges. This breach of an unwritten rule of United Nations peacekeeping indicates a transformation of peace operations from instruments for collective security to vehicles for collective defence.

About the authors

Paul-Simon Handy is ISS Regional Director for East Africa and Representative to the African Union, based in Addis Ababa.

Félicité Djilo is an independent analyst of African peace and security issues. Her research focuses on the institutional dynamics of African responses to instability.