The African Union Conflict Resolution Mechanisms
Ahead of the African Union (AU) 29th summit, which will take place on 3 and 4 July, expectations are high for more effective responses to the ongoing conflicts on the continent. Now more than ever, the AU and its partners must improve their ability to tackle security threats coherently and turn its policy frameworks on conflict resolutions into concrete actions.
During the past decade, the AU has taken on a greater role in preventing and resolving conflicts. As part of the process of creating a new security architecture for the African continent, the AU was structured to meet the many challenges faced since early 1990’s. For instance, The AU Constitutive Act ‘envisages a common defense policy and regional intervention in response to war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity’[1]. The new structures built as a result of this act attempted to establish approaches to security and conflict prevention, which were categorized into operational and structural initiatives.
The former approach relates to actions designated to address the immediate causes of conflict, normally taken during the escalation phase, whereas the latter aims to reduce de likelihood of conflict and violent acts by promoting positive incentives to societies, such as access to political, economic, social and cultural opportunities[2]. Altogether, these two mechanisms were developed with a response-oriented system and adapted to specific situations or identified needs, evolving further on to become institutionalized.
As a result of this approach to conflict resolution, most of AU’s initiatives to tackle the issue focus on short-term, programmatic and reactive actions. For instance, the creation of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) provided a wide range of tools for conflict resolution. Alongside with its pillars, namely, the Peace and Security Council (PSC), Panel of the Wise (PoS), Continental Early Warning System (CEWS), African Standby Force (ASF), and African Union Peace Fund (AUPF), the APSA was established to support ongoing peace processes and deploy peace support operations on effected areas. But despite its bold initiative, these mechanisms lack coherence and, as pointed out at the AU Summit in January 2017, these structures need to focus more on prevention and early-warning actions to avert the full-blown of conflicts on the continent[3].
On a different note, AU’s collaboration with third parties, especially the UN, has gradually evolved. The UN Security Council (UNSC) has progressively designated to the AU a central role in the management of Africa’s conflicts, partly due to the recognition that it cannot manage these crises alone[4]. Accordingly, collaboration between these two institutions increased considerably, specifically on non-military responses to conflict, including a range of initiatives to counter violent extremism in Mali.
The AU 29th Summit
Among the main topics that will be discussed, a special focus will be given to structural reforms, including the decision to reduce dependence on foreign funding in order to respond to crisis more effectively. Because the AU is still largely funded by outside institutions such as the European Union (EU) and the UN, these global partnerships are crucial[5]. Yet, due to the uncertainty in the international arena, this dependence might hinder the AU’s operational effectiveness if financing models are not improved. According to Stephanie Wolters, head of the Peace and Security Research Programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), a more coordinated approach to funding among AU Member States would give efforts 'more momentum, ensure best practices are implemented and serve as a means for information sharing between the countries'[6].
Besides funding, the summit is also expected to address the ongoing crisis , urging member states to adopt a more pragmatic and coherent approach. For instance, Somalia is a crisis area that requires concerted efforts of the AU and its partners. In spite of the security gains made against al-Shabaab in the last years and the recent electoral achievement, the nation still lacks the capacity to fill the governance vacuum in some regions. According to Meressa Kahsu, in order to build state institutions and to manage recovered areas, the AU should work closely and in a consistent manner with its partners[7].
Another case worth considering is South Sudan, where high levels of violence continue to drag the newest African nation into an uncertain future. In the midst of an intense political, economic and humanitarian crisis, the country has been experiencing a sustainable warfare, as military dynamics and political grievances expand. [8]At its last summit in January 2017, the AU highlighted the urgent need for the implementation of the 2015 South Sudanese peace deal, but due to a lack of commitment from AU partners as well as limited momentum from the Government of South Sudan to adhere to it, no further discussions revived.
This week’s summit will also be confronted with the current crisis in countries such as Burundi, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya and Sudan, not to mention the challenges in the northern stretches of the Sahel. While roadmaps and normative frameworks provide direction and set boundaries, the AU’s conflict prevention mechanisms should also respond to challenges by addressing shortfalls in its own structure. More specifically, the AU and its partners should develop a general resource mobilization strategy which can be tailored to local contexts. Without a precise and sustainable funding mechanism that addresses the root causes of conflicts in a longer-term view, conflict resolution will be only relevant at the policy level.
Recommendations:
- Member States should provide more adequate funding to AU’s initiatives and conflict resolution mechanisms. Otherwise, without significant additional African financing, the AU peace support operations will likely remain blocked if funding from UN, US, EU and other partners decline.
- Develop more practical, preventive-oriented and, above all, long-term instruments to crises, taking into consideration their root causes.
- Ensure the PSC mechanisms on conflict resolution, such as the Mediation Support Unit (MSU), are well-staffed by skilled and experienced specialists.
-Revitalize security partnerships, especially with the UN. The AU needs to ensure that the UNSC and AU PSC agendas are closely aligned and reflects more precisely the continent’s priorities. In addition to that, the AU should renew its partnership with the EU, and the EU-Africa November summit in Côte-d’Ivoire is yet another opportunity.