Challenges to peace initiatives in Africa ;The Somali case

  

Date Posted: 2/4/2013 12:34:51 PM

Posted By: KOROHS  Membership Level: Silver  Total Points: 840

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ABSTRACT

This article will assess Peace and Security in Africa with particular reference to Somalia. With the onset of more pronounced intra-state conflicts between the period of the 1990 and the present, it become evident that a policy of intervention was necessary. It will in addition identify some of the obstacles and challenges that need to be overcome by AU in order to ensure that proactive interventions become entrenched in the modus operandi of the organs of its systems.

THE FAILURE OF O.A.U

The Organization of African Unity was formed on 25 May 1963 to promote solidarity and cooperation among Africans. During this time a substantial number of African states had attained independence and were faced with the challenge of consolidating their nascent governments.At the creation of the OAU, its main agenda was to address the scourge of colonialism which persisted in some parts of Africa. However, it also sought to end racial discrimination as well as to assert the right of Africans to control their social, economic and political affairs and achieve the freedom necessary for peace and development .
At first the OAU seemed to succeed in its primary mission with the help of international actors, of liberating the continent. The OAU however was not as effective in monitoring and policing the affairs of its own member states when it came to issues such as: violent conflict, political corruption, economic mismanagement, poor governance, lack of human rights, lack of gender equality and lack of poverty eradication.
COLLAPSE OF THE SOMALI GOVERNMENT
The collapse of the central government in Somalia in 1991 came after decades of dictatorial rule by Siad Barre and thereafter three years of civil war that led to massive loss of human life. The coalition which succeeded Barre became embroiled in its own internal strife, and led to increasing

factionalisation in the country which resulted to more difficulty. However, after years of difficult peacekeeping initiatives, Somalia is still in a state of insecurity. The persistence of violence in Somalia has caused tremendous damage and loss of life and prevented effective humanitarian intervention and relief work. The continuing instability in Somalia has created a fertile ground for a range of armed militia such as the al-shabaab. Regional and international security has been affected with the spill-over of refugees and armed militia into neighbouring countries, such as Kenya.
The conflict in Somalia which led to the collapse of the state illustrated the limitations of the OAU as a framework for conflict resolution. This failure led to the formation of AFRICAN UNION. However, Ten years after the establishment of the AU as we will see ,the Union has failed as far as peace and security issues in Africa are concerned. This in many respects is a function of the absence of a proactive and preventive culture of crisis prevention within the AU system and its member states.
THE A.U

The AU Peace and Security Council was established in 2004 through to the establishment of the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU 2002). The AU’s mandated was to conduct peacemaking, peacekeeping and to make the necessary steps to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts. Article 4(h) of the AU Constitutive Act affirms the right of the Union to intervene in a member state with respect to crisis situations. However, years after its inception it has become evident that a policy of intervention is necessary as far as peace and security issues in Africa are concerned to stem the proliferation of complex emergencies. While the AU’s intervention is laudable, the case of Somalia reveal that it has not been backed up by a genuine commitment of member states to ensure and conduct robust conflict prevention and peace operations.
Obstacles and challenges
The main obstacles and challenges facing AU is that not all of Africa’s heads of state and government are taking its systems seriously. The lack of integrity among some of the leaders of African countries who have committed themselves to principles, norms and values of human rights and democratic governance, but continue to practice suppression, dominion and exploitation of their own people. The organization itself has all the necessary policy institutions to function as an effective framework for conflict resolution in Africa. It is therefore necessary for African leaders to hold African governments to account to the principles and values of human rights. However, many African leaders are behaving as though the AU does not exist. They continue to commit human rights atrocities, which form the basis for conflict escalation, with impunity. The norms and values that they have signed up to should be enough to make them to change behavior and assist in conflict resolution.
Conclusion

Effective intervention would largely depend on having the appropriate and useful information. Certain interventions can be ineffective in addressing a particular problem. It is therefore sometimes important to emphasize the question of when it is desirable to intervene and when it is not appropriate to do so. In this regard, timing is essential to the intervention process. The AU should try and adopt this idea.
The AU can also enhance its mission by incorporating indigenous approaches to peace building in its strategy for promoting peace and security in Africa. However, this will only succeed if African citizens are also empowered to contribute to this process. This conundrum lies in the fact that the people who are best placed to influence African leaders are the citizens themselves and they should make their leaders to uphold the principles that they have signed to.Discouragingly; the continent continues to witness African leaders remaining silent in the face of atrocities that are being committed against the people.

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