Regional Approaches to Crisis Response, the African Union (AU) Intervention in African States: How Viable Is It?

Abstract

Ever since African Union (AU) was established in 1963, the organisation has been charged with the responsibility of preventing, managing and resolving violent conflicts ranging from political violence, terrorism, insurgency and so on. In the African region, AU’s interventions in African states have generated academic debates especially in the Mali and Nigerian crisis. While some scholars consider AU’s intervention as being effective, others consider it ineffective. Either claim, however, is only valid in part and obscures a holistic understanding of the AU as a conflict prevention mechanism in Africa. Using the crisis in Mali and Nigeria as case studies, this article engages with the body of works drawn from each of the aforementioned paradigms, and highlights the inadequacies in exclusively focusing on either side of the debate. In turn, it suggests that, only in the synergy of both paradigms can a broader and more eclectic understanding of all the factors responsible for non-performance of AU be achieved.