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The African Union: Providing Peace in Africa? A case study of the African Mission in Burundi

Dr Annemarie Peen Rodt Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies University of Bath, 1 West North, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom Email: apr20@bath.ac.uk

International Studies Association Annual Convention 16-19 March 2011. Montreal, Canada.

This is a first draft. Please do not quote without consulting the author. Comments and questions are more than welcome.

Abstract

The African Union was established in 2002 to promote peace, security and stability on the African continent. Since then the AU has launched military operations to help regulate conflicts in Burundi, Sudan, Somalia and the Comoros. This paper evaluates the first of these endeavours: the African Mission in Burundi in 2003-2004. The purpose of this analysis is to explore the AU’s nascent approach to peacekeeping and to investigate the relationship between the Union’s aspiration, experience and prospects to provide ‘African solutions to African problems’ in the security realm.

Abbreviations

ACHPR AMIB APPM ASF AU BINUB CEWS CIMICC CNDD DDR DRC ECOSOCC EU FAB FDD FRODEBU FNL GTZ ICG MCPMR

African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights African Union Mission in Burundi Armed Political Parties and Movements African Standby Force African Union United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi Continental Early Warning System Civil Military Coordination Centre National Council for the Defence of Democracy Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration Democratic Republic of Congo Economic, Social and Cultural Council European Union Burundi Armed Forces Forces of Democracy Front for Democracy in Burundi National Forces of Liberation German Technical Cooperation International Crisis Group Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution

MILOB MONUC MSC OAU ONUB PALIPEHUTU PAP PDAA PF PoW PSC

Military Observer United Nations Organization Mission in the DRC Military Staff Committee


References: ACCORD, 2007. South Africa 's Peacekeeping Role in Burundi: Challenges and Opportunities for Future Peace Missions. Occasional Paper Series. 2 (2) Agoagye, Festus African Union, 2000. Constitutive Act of the African Union, Lomé, 11 July African Union, 2002 African Union, 2003. Protocol on the Amendments to the Constitutive Act of the African Union, Maputo, 11 July. African Union, 2004. Solemn Declaration on a Common African Defence and Security Policy, Sirte, 28 February African Union, 2011. http://www.au.int/en/about/nutshell (Accessed: 09/02/2011) Akokpari, John, Ndinga-Muvumba, Angela and Murithi, Tim, eds., 2008 Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement for Burundi [online], 2000, Arusha, 28 August. Available at: http://www.hdcentre.org/files/Arusah%20peace%20agreement.pdf (Accessed: 25/02/2011) 31 BBC News, 2003 BBC News, 2010. Burundi Country Profile [online]. 11 December. Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1068873.stm0000 (Accessed: 25/02/2011) Boshoff, Henri, Very, Waldemar and Rautenbach, George, 2010 Boshoff, Henri, 2003. ‘Burundi: The African Union’s First Mission’. African Security Analysis Programme Situation Report, 10 June, Institute for Security Studies: Pretoria Boshoff, Henri and Francis, Dara, 2003 Communiqué of the Ninety-first Ordinary Session of the Central Organ of the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution at Ambassadorial level, 2003. 2 April. Addis Ababa ICG, 2011 http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/africa/central-africa/burundi/169burundi-from-electoral-boycott-to-political-impasse.aspx 09/02/2011) (Accessed: ICG, 2004 http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/africa/central-africa/burundi/081-end-ofthe-transition-in-burundi-the-home-stretch.aspx (Accessed: 09/02/2011) 32 Institute for Security Studies, 2009. Profile: African Union. (Accessed: 20/11/2009) Makinda, Samuel, M Svensson, Emma, 2008. The African Mission in Burundi: lessons Learned from the African Union’s first Peace Operation. Stockholm: FOI Swedish Defence Research Agency. Tavares, Rodrigo, 2010. Regional Security: the Capacity of International Organizations. London: Routledge UN News Centre, 2004 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10924&Cr=burundi&Cr1=# (Accessed : 07/02/2011) Word to PDF
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