AFRICAN UNION PEACEKEEPING INSTITUTIONS Conflict prevention has been at the center of most international discourse particularly that

concerned with peace and security or the sustaining of international order. The end of the ideological war and the emergence of intra State warfare turned the practice and study of Conflict prevention into an enormously significant concept. In fact, the Preamble of the United Nations Charter1 sets its agenda as saving successive generations from the scourge of warfare . Lund (1997) renders the concept as actions, policies, procedures or institutions undertaken in particularly vulnerable places and times in order to avoid the threat or use of armed force and related form of coercion by States or groups, as the way to settle the political disputes that can arise from destabilizing effects of economic, social, political and international change. Fanta (2009) concurs with the above definition, only adding that it involves preventive diplomacy, preventive deployment, peacekeeping, preventive disarmament and structural prevention. Boutros-Ghali (1992) has argued that in a post-cold war setting, the perception of conflict resolution and prevention entails a changing context, particularly due to what he refers to as the collapse of the ideological barrier. The United Nations (Security Council) as the sole international institution granted the enormous responsibility for preserving International Peace and Security2 renders conflict prevention as the application of structural or diplomatic measures to keep the intra state or interstate disputes from escalating into violent conflict (United Nations Department of Peacekeeping , 2008). The demarcated boundary between the concepts peacemaking, peacekeeping, peace building, peace enforcement and conflict prevention is difficult to identify and is become even more blurred. It is therefore imperative to clarify and develop clear-cut elaborate meanings of the above terms. Peace making is a cluster of measures used to address conflict in progress and is usually confined to diplomatic measures, the measures that Boutros-Ghali (1992) refers to as

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Here after UN Charter. Article 24 Paragraph 1 of the United Nations Charter: In order to ensure prompt and effective action by the United Nations, its Members confer on the Security Council primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and agree that in carrying out its duties under this responsibility the Security Council acts on their behalf.

actions to bring hostile parties to agreement by peaceful means, stipulated in Chapter VI of the UN Charter3. Peacekeeping involves the preservation of peace where the fighting has stopped or halted a measure that takes both military and policing characters depending on the circumstance. In An Agenda for Peace, Boutros-Ghali (1992) emphasizes that the deployments entail a United Nations presence, based on neutrality and consent of all parties to the conflict (United Nations Department of Peacekeeping , 2008). Peace enforcement takes on a very coercive measure that is imposed by a legitimate authority under international law, in this case the United Nations Security Council 4. Peace building is an amalgamation of measures meant to reduce the risk of relapse by the parties previously in conflict into a state of warfare; this last mechanism is by far the most complex both in application and composition. It aims ultimately at reforming the vital issues that limit State function and capacity (United Nations Department of Peacekeeping , 2008). The United Nations acknowledges the existence of regional arrangements and their role in dealing with matters of international peace and security; it is from this very perspective that the African Union is empowered to deal with security and conflict matters, particularly those within its geographical domain5. Notably, at a regional continental level of analysis, conflict prevention must involve the comparison between the Organization of African Unity and the African Union for a comprehensive understanding, the primary justification for this being that the latter was replaced by the former. In the Protocol relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union6, Specifically Article 2(1) the Union enshrines the principle that council shall be the standing decision making organ where matters of prevention, management and resolution of

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Article 33 provides for the use of diplomatic and legal means to peacefully solve conflicts. Article 25 of the UN Charter 5 Article 52 (1) of the UN Charter: Nothing in this present Charter precludes the existence of regional arrangements or agencies for dealing with such matters relating to the maintenance of international peace and security as are appropriate for regional action, provided that such arrangements or agencies and their activities are consistent with the purposes and principles of the Uni ted nations. 6 Here and after referred to as Protocol

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conflict is involved, it is also specified that the architecture shall be one of collective security amalgamated with an early warning arrangement (African Union, 2003). The Charter of the Organization of African Unity 7 made a provision in Article XIX for a Commission for mediation, Conciliation and arbitration with a goal for pacific settlement of disputes. The key variable in this case is the Pacific settlement of disputes. This methodology was dogmatically adhered to due to the principle of non-intervention in domestic matters as spelt out in Article III (2) of the OAU charter; the organization went to great lengths to avoid the use of force against any State. This was a major flaw within its mechanism of conflict resolution. The strict adherence to non-intervention meant that the OAU could only look on amidst numerous intra-State and Inter State conflicts in Africa. The African Union on the other hand has innovatively created a set of institutions that work with and support the Peace and Security Council in its efforts of conflict resolution and prevention. Article 2 (2) of the Protocol spells the institutions as follows; a commission, a Panel of the wise, a stand by force, and a special fund. This is a significant departure from the OAU institutional mechanism which provided only for a Commission in Article XIX of the Charter. An alternative and yet quite significant departure by the AU from the OAU dimension is the incorporation of numerous novel objectives as far as peace and security are concerned. The objectives are elaborated in Article 3 of the Protocol and they include but are not limited to; promotion of peace, security and stability, anticipation and prevention of conflict, promoting and implementing peace building, carrying out conflict reconstruction, coordinating continental antiterrorism efforts, developing a common defense plan and the promotion of good governance, the listed objectives center around the solution of conflict and preventing their occurrence. The OAU on the contrary concentrated on matters of sovereignty, territorial protection and stemming external influence. Article II of the OAU charter spell out objectives that at a glance seem like goals meant to spite the colonialist; objectives like the protection of African solidarity and the eradication of the colonial yoke to mention but a few objectives. The African Union also developed standards that are expected of States that wish to be considered as part of the Peace and Security Council, the presence of such a bench mark ensures
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Here and after the Charter

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that any African State that participates in the Council action is respected and revered. The criteria are cited in Article 5 (2) of the Protocol and they include among others a commitment to the maintenance of international peace and security and participation in conflict resolution processes. On a critical note the OAU has no such criteria, meaning it accepted any State within its grouping, even the United Nations has but one criteria for membership, that a State willing to gain membership must be peace loving and be judged by others as ready to uphold its international legal obligations (Article 4 of the United Nations Charter). However in the case of the AU as well, most African States are unable to meet the criteria elaborated in Article 5 (2) of the Constitutive Act of the African Union8. Another significant variation by the African Union from the Organization of African Unity, in as far a peace and security is the incorporation of a humanitarian function in times of disaster9. This is a component that was absent in the OAU framework, and its charter illegalized interventions in other States. Natural calamities especially when prolonged can cause strain on natural resource resulting in a scuffle or struggle between communities hence an emergence of conflict. The following institutions compliment the work of the African Union Peace and Security Council in the promotion of conflict resolution by pacific means and where reason merits by force. The African Peace and Security Council is the parent body, whose functions are defined in Article 6 of the Protocol, its component institutions include the following: The Commission of the African Union headed by its Chairperson is empowered under Article 10 (1) to deploy efforts and initiatives to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts. Paragraph two of the same Article empowers the Chairperson of the Commission to alert the Peace and Security Council and the panel of the wise, of any threats to peace and to make his or her own initiatives to resolve conflict. This includes mechanisms like negotiation and lending of good office. The Panel of the Wise duly constituted under Article 11, supports both the commission and the peace and Security Council by way of advice and pronouncements on issues relating to
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Here and after the Act Natural calamities especially when prolonged can cause strain on natural resource resulting in a scuffle or struggle between communities hence an emergence of conflict.

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peace and security. It is composed of five highly respected African persons from various segments of Society. The continental early warning system enshrined in Article 12 establishes a conflict prevention mechanism made up of a situation room and monitoring or observation units. This system is meant to collaborate with other international mechanisms of international organs like the European Union and the United Nations. Above all the system in formulating threats analysis takes consideration of political, economic and military dynamics (Boutros Ghali, 1992). The African Stand By force is established under Article 13 of the protocol, it is meant to be a peacekeeping cum peace enforcement brigade. In terms of composition, it is meant to include a multidisciplinary contingent of civilian and military components. These units are meant to be on standby for rapid and ease of deployment (Williams, 2009). Article 21 of the protocol provides for the instituting of a special fund, from which costs related to conflict resolution may be drawn. The finances of the said fund are constituted through an assessment, voluntary contributions and appropriations from the regular budget. Notably the institutions mentioned sets aside the AU over the OAU since the institutions were absent in the former, however the efforts mentioned have increasingly been limited by a lack of political will, financial difficulty, Structurally weak States and a failure when faced with problems of a conflict nature (Williams, 2009). In conclusion, the institutions of the African Union that are granted duty of conflict prevention include the Peace and Security Council, supported by the African Union Commission, the Panel of the Wise, a Continental Early warning System, a Stand By Force and a special fund; these clearly exceed the efforts of the OAU. Regardless, this improvement does not make the peace and Security Council a perfect system, it is riddled with bureaucracy, financial trouble, and feet dragging when faced with conflict and the need to act. The improvements are excellently presented on paper but have failed in the baptism of fire.

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REFERENCES
African Union. (2003). Constitutive Act of the African Union. Boutros Ghali, B. (1992). An Agenda for Peace. New York: United Nations. Brian, O. (2005). "War" The stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (E. N. Zalta, Ed.) Stanford: University of Stanford Press. Fanta, E. (2009). The Capacity of African Regional Organizations in peacekeeping. Transforming Political Structure: Security, Institutions, and Regional Intergration Mechanisms. Florence. Lund, M. (1997). Preventing and Mitigating Violent Conflicts: A Revised Guide for Practitioners. Washington DC: Creative Associates International. Malan, M., & Kent, V. (2003). The African Stand By Force: Progress and Prospects. African Security Review, 12(3). Organization of African Unity. (1963). Charter of the Organization of African Unity. United Nations Department of Peacekeeping . (2008). United Nations Peacekeeiping Operations: Principles and Guidelines. New York: United Nations. Williams, P. D. (2009). The Peace and Security Council: Evaluating an Embryonic and International Institution. The Journal of Modern African Studies, 47(4).

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