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Essay State Building
State Building and the Role of International Organizations
Conflict Prevention in Africa expectations with regard to the African Union.
Jorrit Rosema (006800)
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June 00
Introduction
Africa has known many conflicts on its soil, and many conflicts are present today. Last year the African Union (AU) became effective as the successor of the African Organization for Unity (AOU). In this essay two arguments will be made 1. Regional organizations and especially the AU are forced to focus more and more on conflict prevention in their region. . In order to function effectively in conflict prevention, the AU needs to expand and secure its funding. The argumentation will be followed by concluding remarks and a few recommendations.
Analysis
During the cold war the African continent was diveded up into spheres of influence between the United States and the Soviet Union. Conflicts between and within African countries were dealt with mostly by these superpowers, with or without the help of the United Nations. Today the cold war is over and Africa is no longer the ideological battlefield it used to be. The Soviet Union has collapsed and the only interests of the United States in relation to Africa nowadays are matters regarding the 'war against terrorism'.
As a result there has been a growing importance of international organizations in conflict management. They have been given extra tasks that were before performed by the two superpowers. These tasks cost a lot of money, which is scarce in most international organizations, especially the African ones (Van Walraven In Van Walraven 18 44).
One would expect that the United Nations would have taken over those conflict preventing and conflict managing tasks which were 'performed' by the two superpowers before. However, the past ten years most UN missions in Africa came too late and/or have failed. Especially the early warning system of the United Nations has not functioned as it sometimes does and as it is capable of elsewhere in the world. There are two factors that are responsible for this malfunctioning.
First, according to African affairs, there is a continuous disinterest. We have to realise that the UN, especially in its functioning in security matters, is dependent on its members. It needs political will from the powerful and wealthy western countries within the UN organization to effectively prevent or de-escalate conflict situations. This political will lacks when it concerns (domestic) conflicts in regions like most parts of Africa with no major western interests (ibid. 5). A recent example can been seen in Congo. The Security Council has been very slow with putting the current situation in Congo on the agenda. As a result grave violations of human rights continue to go on, there is a risk that several countries are being involved and unauthorised intervention by French troops has taken place.
Second, the UN early warning system does not work effectively for Africa. Mainly public media present information, needed for analysis. The absence of an intelligence service, the resistance of states to report on their internal affairs and the reluctance of UN field-specialist to report on affairs beyond their functional speciality results in little information on Africa. Just because global media do not pay a lot of attention to the 'black continent' (Sutterlin In Van Walraven 18 1-1). It has been suggested that Non Governmental Organizations and Regional Organizations could play a bigger role in providing the UN with information. This is true and the UN should indeed consult more often NGO's and maybe give them an observer status in the General Assembly or one of the other more specialised organs of the UN. Regional Organizations themselves could however, especially for Africa,function as institutions for conflict prevention andthey should create an effective early warning system (ibid. 16, 18, 1).
Before examining the role the Organization of African Unity has played and the role the African Union could play in preventing conflicts on the African continent, we will look at a few advantages and disadvantages for a regional organization like the AU in taking responsibility for the prevention of conflicts in Africa. These are based on comments of James Sutterlin (In Van Walraven 18 18-1) but altered to the African case and to my own insight.
A first advantage can be found in the fact that a regional organization is likely to be more familiar with the root causes and is closer to the information needed for the effective functioning of an early warning system. Of the same importance is the fact that the AU is only dealing with Africa, while the UN is dealing with the whole world. In effect African matters could get a 'second importance' within de bureaucratic UN system when another part of the world is 'burning'. A third advantage is that mediation or even intervention by an African organization in a conflictis more likely to be accepted than mediation or intervention by a more 'foreign' organizationas the United Nations. Related to this is the presumption that diplomats of the AU are better 'cultural communicators' in for example silent diplomacy. This last argument can also be applied upon possible peace-keeping forces who share a similar culture and language. This cultural argument has to be put in perspective, realising that Africa is a huge continent with many different languages and cultural identities (see Sutterlin In Van Walraven 18 18).
At the other hand there are also disadvantages. First, the objectivity of a regional organization can be questioned if some of their members are too close to the problem and therefore mediation or intervention by the UN could be seen as more 'neutral'.Second, most regional organizations do not have the institutional instruments necessary to take effective measures when necessary. Related to this is the lack of sufficient funds to create an adequate early warning system, to back diplomatic and military activities and with which can be assisted to social and economic development as a form of long term conflict prevention (ibid. 1).
The disadvantages that have been mentioned above have been very clearly visible in the functioning ofthe OAU since its foundation in 16. While conflict prevention was a formal policy goal of the Organization of African Unity, there has been no operational and effective early warning system during its existence. Most of the times the organization was confronted with conflict and violence and busy with conflict management. With a lack of staff and funds the organization could not respond to all conflicts and concentrated on the most serious ones. Also the OAU has faced a structural lack of leadership and was confronted with obstructions by African state elites. Moreover, mediation and intervention could not take place without the permission of the state in conflict (Van Walraven In Van Walraven 18 , 6, 0).
With the launching of the African Union onJuly 00, the peoples of Africa have made a big step towards an Africa that is capable of taking effective measures to ensure peace and stability and prevent the eruption of conflict. Or so it seems. At least the institutional provisons are there. The constitutive act of the organization foresees in the creation of a parliament, a court of justice and several financial institutions (see appendix I). At this moment a lot of the provisions are still in a phase of being studied, prepared or ratified.This last process can take a very long time, as we have learned from events before.
The provisions that are foreseen in the Constitutive Act look very promising and seem to be inspired by those of the European Union.According to conflict prevention and conflict managment the African Union goes even further in its objectives. Like in Europe the principles of democracy, good governance and respect for human rights are inserted in its constitutive act. But with the establishing of the AU it will be possible for the organization to intervene in member states without the permission of the state in conflict. As stated as one of the principles of the Union in article 4 (h) of the act (h) the right of the Union to intervene in a Member State pursuant to a decision of the Assembly in respect of grave circumstances, namely war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity; (Constitutive Act of the African Union).
Of great importance for the prevention and management of conflicts is the protocol relating to the establishment of a Peace and Security Council, which is under ratification at the moment. The protocol foresees in an effective early warning system and its organizational structure should make it possible to act fast (see appendixes II and III). However at this moment (as of 1 June 00) the protocol has been ratifiedand acceded by only 6 states. An other structural problem is finance. The resources that will be made available to the AU will be crucial for the implementation of its arrangements. For its resources the Union depend on its member states. Most of these countries are poor. With the result that they can not pay enough contribution or do not pay at all. This is a problem that also the United Nations have. Provisions for alternative funding are not present in the Constitutive Act (Cilliers 00). Extra necessary funding has until now been provided by several western countries and organizations as the EU and the UN. Last month, May 00, the AU received support in the form of a $6.4 million project, called 'Support for the implementation of the Peace and Security Agenda of the African Union'.
For an effective functioning the AU can not be dependent on the political will of non-African countries and organizations. Therefore it is very important that solutions are found for the provision of a constant and sufficient financing for the organization.
Conclusion and recommendations
First, we can conclude that with the end of the Cold War the importance of international organizations in preventing and managing conflicts has grown. Second, I have argued that the United Nations is perhaps not the best help regarding conflict prevention in Africa. This due to a continuous desinterest for African affairs and an early warning system that does not work effectively for Africa. For a better functioning of this early warning system ofthe United Nations I recommend the following
-The UN should provide better access for Non Governmental Organizations to its early warning system.
-The UN should fully support regional organizations like the AU in gathering early warning information and should perfect the communication lines with these organizations.
-The UN should encourage global media to report more on Africa.
Further, I argued that the African Union has some advantages and disadvantages when dealing with conflict prevention. The main advantage was found in the fact that a regional organization is 'closer' to the conflict. The most important disadvantage was a lack of funds.
The Organization for African Unity has during its existence been overrun by the events of the day and has not been capable of creating an effective program for the prevention of conflicts. With the launching of the African Union progress seems to have been made. However, for an effective functioning the Union depends on the contribution of its members and on foreign aid. So far no measures have been taken to provide the Union with a constant and sufficient flow of money. Therefore I recommend the following
-Research in the possible establishment of an alternative and independent fundingsystem for the African Union. For example, an African tax system, which taxes civilians instead of states.
Unfortunately there is not enough space in this essay to ellaborate further on this problem. Maybe this can be done in a next one.
Appendixes
I Structure of the African Union as provided in the Constitutive Act
Source Institute for Security Studies / Cilliers 00
II Structure of the Peace and Security Council
Source Institute for Security Studies / Cilliers 00
III Provisions of the Peace and Security Council structure
Source Institute for Security Studies / Cilliers 00
Literature
Adedeji, Adebayo (ed.)
1Comprehending and Mastering African Conflicts. The search for sustainable
peace & good governance. London Zed Books.
Cilliers, Jakkie
00Peace, security and democracy in Africa? A summary of outcomes form the
00 OAU/AU summits in Durban. Institute for Security Studies. Gedownload van http//www.iss.co.za/PUBS/PAPERS/60/Paper60.html
Kemp, W
001Quiet Diplomacy in Action.
Sutherlin, James S.
18Early Warning and Conflict Prevention The Role of the United Nations. In Klaas van Walraven (ed.), Early Warning and Conflict Prevention. Clingendael. pp. 11-1.
Walraven, Klaas van
18Inter-governmental Organizations and Preventing Conflicts Political Practice
Since the End of the Cold War. In Klaas van Walraven (ed.), Early Warning and Conflict Prevention. Clingendael. pp. 1-44.
Walraven, Klaas van (ed .)
18Early Warning and Conflict Prevention. Clingendael.
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