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AU-ECOWAS Peace Architecture and Conflict Management in Africa

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AU-ECOWAS Peace Architecture and Conflict Management in Africa AU-ECOWAS Peace Architecture and Conflict Management in Africa Ikwuoma Sunday Udochukwu , Dept. of Political Science, University of Lagos Abstract One basic challenge that confronted African states immediately after independence was the management of conflict and peace building. While African states have tried to develop capacity in several areas of their socio-economic, political and security life, gaps, still exist between the nature of conflict confronting the region and the institutional framework for conflict management. At first glance, neither the concept of security communities nor any of the other concepts of security cooperation currently in the academic discourse, such as regional security complex, regional security partnerships or zones of peace, seem applicable to Africa’s emerging peace and security architecture. On the contrary, the continuing presence of violent conflict and humanitarian catastrophes in wide parts of the continent, such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Sudan, the Central African Republic, Chad and Somalia, has reinforced many people’s impressions of Africa as a continent characterized by quasi-Hobbesian anarchy rather than elaborate forms of security cooperation based on a communality of values. The realization of the change in conflict dimension in Africa and its attendant consequences and the less concern by international community led African leaders to consider some of the guiding principles, structure, designs and policies on conflict management. Consequently, the principle of non-interference and respect for territorial integrity of states were revisited and challenged. The process began with the transformation of Organization of African Unity (OAU) to African Union (AU). By the emergence of African Union, the core objective of promotion of peace, stability and security in the continent changed to non-indifference rather than non-interference. This research investigated AU-ECOWAS peace and security architecture and management of conflict in Africa. The aim of the study is to understand the AU-ECOWAS peace and security architecture; to examine the application of the AU-ECOWAS peace architecture in management of conflict in Africa; and to investigate the challenges of conflict management in 1 Africa using the AU-ECOWAS peace architecture. The study found that: The Protocol that created the PSC establishes two primary diplomatic ways to achieve the APSA strategic goals: preventive diplomacy and peacemaking. Hence, it recommends that: African leaders should develop stronger political will to intervene in conflict areas. Political will is absolutely vital to operationalize all mechanisms of the AU-ECOWAS peace and security architecture. Develop a balance relationship for conflict management at the sub-regional and continental levels. Emphasis should be placed on security especially human security in Africa. Introduction One basic challenge that confronted African states immediately after independence was the management of conflict and peace building. While African states have tried to develop capacity in several areas of their socio-economic, political and security life, gaps, still exist between the nature of conflict confronting the region and the institutional framework for conflict management (Garuba, 1998). At first glance, neither the concept of security communities nor any of the other concepts of security cooperation currently in the academic discourse, such as regional security complex, regional security partnerships or zones of peace, seem applicable to Africa’s emerging peace and security architecture. On the contrary, the continuing presence of violent conflict and humanitarian catastrophes in wide parts of the continent, such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Sudan, the Central African Republic, Chad and Somalia, has reinforced many people’s impressions of Africa as a continent characterized by quasi-Hobbesian anarchy rather than elaborate forms of security cooperation based on a communality of values (Franke, 2010). However, the past few years have in fact seen Africa’s states making great strides at developing an institutionalized framework for such cooperation. The end of the cold war brought a new dimension to conflicts and war in Africa, the continent now experienced more intrastate conflicts than interstate conflicts, leading to the death of many civilians and non-combatant and destruction of properties. The Cold War ended in 2 1990 following the collapse of the Berlin wall; by 1994 Africa witness the mother of all conflict the Rwanda genocide that recorded the death of millions of civilians (Shelton, 1997). The realization of the change in conflict dimension in Africa and its attendant consequences and the less concern by international community led African leaders to consider some of the guiding principles, structure, designs and policies on conflict management. Consequently, the principle of non-interference and respect for territorial integrity of states were revisited and challenged. The process began with the transformation of Organization of African Unity (OAU) to African Union (AU). By the emergence of African Union, the core objective of promotion of peace, stability and security in the continent changed to non-indifference rather than non-interference (Article 3 of the AU Constitutive Act). In a bid to achieve the above objectives and strengthen the capacity of the AU in conflict prevention, management and resolution, the AU adopted the protocol for the establishment of Peace and Security Council on July 2002 at Durban South Africa, which came into force by December 2003. Thus, the Peace and Security Council of the AU was formed as a collective security and early warning arrangement to facilitate timely and efficient response to conflict and crisis situation in Africa (Article 2(i) of the Peace and Security Protocol of AU). The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established in 1975 by West African state as a strategy for economic integration, development and prosperity for the member countries. However, with the nature of conflict and wide spread instability in the sub-region in the early 1990s and 2000s, the West African leaders realized that economic prosperity and development can only be achieved and consolidated in a peaceful and secured atmosphere. This led to the thinking for a peace and security protocol, the movement towards developing peace and security architecture of the ECOWAS began in 1978 when the leaders adopted the Non-Aggression Treaty 3 which enjoins member state to refrain from the use of force or aggression against each other (ECOWAS). Attributing a certain security role to regional organizations is quite a new issue in the African context. The regional dimension of conflict management remained rather undeveloped in the African conditions during the Cold War. This situation had not been changed until the later stages of the Cold War with the emergence of security activities of various sub-regional organizations like SADC - Southern African Development Community, ECOWAS - Economic Community of West African States, IGAD - Intergovernmental Authority on Development, among others and more intensively in the context of a broader international consensus about a greater role of regional organizations in maintaining the international order in the early 1990s. Ghali’s Agenda for Peace in 1992 articulated a new cooperative relationship between the United Nations (UN) and regional formations in solving regional crises. Regional and sub-regional organizations started to be perceived as the first authorities to solve security problems overlapping the national borders. For this reason, the development of African regional organizations capable of solving security issues was strongly supported by the international community. However, the support of the development of regionalism was coming also from African states themselves. It originated in African aspirations to solve the continent’s problems without external interventions according to the principle “African solutions to African problems”. Sesay et al. argues that the phrase represents the spirited attempts made by the newly independent states to shield themselves individually and collectively, from the debilitating effects of the Cold War between the two Super Powers— the United States of America and the defunct Soviet Union. The idea that the best way to keep peace in Africa is that the Africans themselves should solve their continent’s problems has been a common part of political debates at least over five decades. In this period, it has received support from many sources, both African and Western. There are several factors explaining the resonance and popularity of this idea. Its origin can be found in the anti-colonial fight, as it reflects 4 a strong anti-imperialist sentiment, faith in African freedom to make free decisions about their future without outside dictates, ideas of a sovereign African personality, and the philosophical and ideological conception of Négritude. When advocating their approach, African supporters of African solutions emphasize also Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, which in its Article 52 encourages regional organizations to settle the disputes in their own area peacefully. This approach was advocated during the 1990s as a necessary response to the considerable decline of interests of international actors in Africa after the end of the Cold War (with an exception of Somalia). In some cases (e.g. Burundi or Liberia),
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