Chapter 5 Competition or Burden-Sharing? UN and Regional Peace Operations in Africa

Abstract

The AU has become an essential UN partner in the area of peace and security. However, although progress has been made in developing the institutional capacity of the AU and other sub-regional organizations in planning and fielding peace operations, much work still remains. This chapter discusses the increasing partnerships between the UN, the AU, and sub-regional organizations as a means of responding to the twenty-first-century challenges. With growing institutional capacity, particularly of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and more troop contributions, the AU, regional economic communities (RECs), and regional mechanisms (RMs) have played a key role as first responders in past decades. However, as will be highlighted with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), considerable strategic, political, operational, and tactical challenges remain which continue as obstacles on the road to stability. Collaborating to fight terrorism in the Sahel is likely to see greater cooperative partnerships, but here sequencing will be paramount to ensuring smooth transitions. The politics and strategic interests underpinning the regional intervention brigade model will be highlighted, looking at the example of the FIB in MONUSCO. The evolving models of partnership and cooperation are discussed, taking into consideration the various challenges and opportunities presented by greater burden-sharing. Responding to complex threats that require more robust use of force will demand a pragmatic division of labor, playing to the competitive advantages of each organization.