Regional Intergovernmental Organizations to Conflict Prevention and Resolution: The Case of the African Union in the Nile River Conflict

Abstract

International intergovernmental organizations play various roles, including settling conflicts, promoting peaceful coexistence, cooperation among member states, human rights, and economic and social development. Regional intergovernmental organizations that act as a last resort are better suited to prevent and resolve conflicts at a region level due to their regional positioning, knowledge, and understanding of the root causes, ability to influence and facilitate conflict settlement, and their legitimacy standing. This paper aimed to explore the role of regional intergovernmental organizations in conflict prevention and resolution with the case of the African Union (AU) in the Nile River conflict. Specifically, the paper looked at factors for and against conflict prevention in the Nile, the AU’s role as a regional intergovernmental organization in preventing and resolving conflict in the Nile River conflict, and the role of non-state actors, IGOs, and UN’s Security Council in enhancing AU’s role in conflict prevention and resolution. The paper deployed a qualitative case study methodology with 20 structured interviews, open questionnaires, and secondary sources to examine the phenomenon. Consequently, the study used an analytical category development matrix to develop meaningful emerging themes from the data collected. The findings and analysis showed various factors hindering AU’s full operationalization in the Nile River conflict, including the African states’ ideology (imported democracy) with sub-factors such as colonial factors, external influence, African politics and leadership, and self-interests. Further, the Nile states have different interests that require a joint solution that caters to each party’s interests, with compromise in consideration. As a regional organization, the AU is well positioned to prevent and resolve the Nile River conflict (what the researcher termed as an Afri-Nile solution). Additionally, the international intergovernmental organizations and non-state actors can enhance the AU’s role through collaboration and cooperation (the researcher termed Cop-Lab). The study supported realism and liberalism theories that explained the Nile states’ rift and the potential for conflict resolution from a regional perspective. However, what works in Africa may be inapplicable in other regions and, therefore, essential to approach regional organizations per context.