Multilateral Peacekeeping in Africa: The Role of the UN and the African Union
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Authors
Hailu, Solomon
Issue Date
2011
Type
Article
Language
Keywords
Global development and peace , Africa , Peacekeeping , United Nations , African Union
Alternative Title
Abstract
Description
The United Nations was created to achieve international peace and security through collective measures. The international body has scored some successes in dealing with interstate conflict, but the institution has suffered significant failures in addressing intrastate conflicts. This problem has become largely evident in the addressing of security problems in developing regions, particularly in Africa. Among other things, the Western Powers' lack of high level political will, their lack of resource commitment and their doctrine of non-violation of member states sovereignty stand in the way of the UN functioning effectively in addressing the matters of internal conflicts in Africa. Under such circumstances, there seems to be no alternative but for Africans themselves to rise up and meet the challenge of peacekeeping and conflict under the auspices of the newly established African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC). Obviously, young and weakly developed, the AUPSC needs to seek more support from the UN, Western powers, African sub-regional organizations and individual states in order to effectively address widespread internal conflicts in Africa.