By Rawlings Magede
When
the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was formed some 60 years ago, one of
the key founding principles was on the right of the African people to control their
own destiny. This was against a background where several African countries were
still under the shackles of colonialism. Years later, through its vibrant
leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah and Julius Nyerere, independence became a reality
in Africa.
In
2002 when the OAU transited to become the African Union (AU) its focus slightly
shifted to encourage political and economic integration among member states and
to eradicate colonialism and neo-colonialism from the African continent.
Although this seemed noble, questions on how it was going to be achieved
continued to occupy public discourse. This was so because even after independence
several African countries continued to institute disastrous Structural
Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) and kept them in perpetual debt thereby creating a
dependency syndrome on foreign capital. Countries like Zambia and Ghana among
other countries implemented such programmes in the 1980s while Zimbabwe did so
in the 1990s.
The present
Day AU faces a myriad of problems.
Economic
emancipation and the need to cut loose the dependency syndrome has remained one
of the challenges facing the AU. Added to this, an even bigger challenge of
terrorism continues to derail peace and security in Africa. This has been fueled
by various rebel groups that have set bases on the continent. This continues to
expose the fragility of the continent’s peace and security mechanisms. During
the 50th Anniversary of The African Union in May 2013, the AU Assembly
of Heads of State and Government adopted a landmark declaration. This declaration
spelt out how Africa would not bequeath the burden of conflicts to the next
generation and made a commitment to end violent conflicts on the continent by
2020.This was then translated into the AU initiative: Silencing the Guns by
2020.This was followed up by the United Nations (UN) and AU Joint framework for
Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security in 2017 an the Joint Framework for Implementation
of Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2028.This arrangement
has seen the UN and AU collaborating closely, more regular exchange of
information and consultations, coordinated action including joint field visits
and joint statements.
Since
then, the continent has experienced even more violent conflicts and civil wars.
In 2021 alone, twelve African countries-Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central
African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali,
Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, and Somalia saw external involvement in their
domestic conflicts. Multiple state-based conflicts in Africa are because of the
rise and expansion of the Islamic State (IS). In the same year nine countries
in Africa; Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, DRC, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Somalia
experienced conflicts with IS within their territories. More recently, DRC based
rebel group, Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed and abducted several
students at Kasese District-based Lhubirira Secondary school in Western Uganda.
The attack left 41 people dead while several were abducted. This month in Kenya,
eight police officers were killed in a suspected attack by Somalia-based rebel
group al-Shabab in Garissa County (Eastern Kenya).
The
AU Peace and Security Council and its challenges
All
these incidences have gravely exposed the inability of the AU to decisively
deal with the ever-increasing threat of terrorism on the continent. The Peace
and Security Council is saddled by a myriad of challenges ranging from poor
funding to the lack of cooperation of member states to deploy forces. The
financing challenges facing the AU have important unintended consequences. High
levels of donor dependency have weakened ownership in the fight against the new
threat of terrorism.
Against
such a threat, there is need for the 55 AU member states to design a sustainable
funding model that might mean that member states must make annual financial pledges
that can be broken down into installments. In the past, this has proved
problematic as several countries have reneged on their pledges.
More
importantly is the need for AU member states to do anything necessary to
address the threats posed by terror. For example, the DRC has become a haven
for rebel groups such as the M23, Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Allied
Democratic Forces (ADF). These rebel groups have initiated and coordinated
attacks from the DRC and easily evade detection due to the issue of porous borders
within East Africa. In the long term, the rebel groups might set up bases
elsewhere and spread across the continent. This will present an even bigger
security problem for the AU.
Current
funding arrangements for the AU to deal decisively with the threat of terrorism
are neither reliable nor predictable, especially in the wake of an increase in
terror attacks. The new challenge facing the continent now more than ever is
terrorism which has continued to fuel civil wars and coordinated attacks. To
win this war over terrorism requires all hands-on deck by every African country
in terms of cooperation to deploy troops and resources.
In
the final analysis, financing peace and security in Africa on a sustainable
basis is not only an African priority but a global strategic imperative, given
the complex and interconnected nature of threats to international peace and
security today.
Nyumbani or Kifo!
Rawlings Magede is an
International Development Specialist and Rotary International Peace Fellow. He
writes here in his personal capacity. Feedback on rawlingsmagede2@gmail.com
Comments
Post a Comment