PEACE-KEEPING OPERATIONS IN AFRICA IN THE 21ST CENTURY: AN ASSESSMENT

Abstract

This study presents a critical overview and analysis of principal events that characterize peace keeping operations in Africa: challenges encountered and prospects towards enhancing their effectiveness. The study observed that between 1947 and 2013, Africa experienced 90 peace keeping operations. Majority of the armed conflicts in Africa attracted peace operations more regularly than the global average with United Nations (UN) consistently being the predominant peacekeeper in the continent of Africa where 33 UN-led operations had been deployed. African contributions to peace operations increased dramatically during the twenty-first century with the continent’s Regional Economic Communities (REC5), with prominently ECOWAS playing major role.  The European Union has become a more important peacekeeping actor as part of its Common Defense and Security Policy, thus making strategic partnership in peacekeeping becoming the norm in Africa. It was equally noted that many peace operations in Africa continues to suffer from a “capability-expectations” gap. The study recommended among others, that efforts should be made to sustain  the partnerships between the African Union and the UN and EU regarding peace keeping operations in Africa and that stakeholders should endeavour to find a solution to the funding problems for African institutions.