How can the African Union’s mediation and conflict prevention mechanisms be strengthened? This seminar report assesses the evolving African peace and security architecture and presents five key recommendations for its future development. It argues that the AU’s partnerships should be strengthened, mediation work institutionalised, early warning systems established, lesson-learning institutionalised and that civil society should become more involved in mediation processes.
The establishment of the African Union (AU) in 2002 and its Peace and Security Council (PSC) in 2004 have firmly cemented institutions dedicated to the promotion of peace and security in Africa. Although mediation has featured prominently in conflict management initiatives in Africa, specific processes and mechanisms of mediation have not yet been consolidated. As a result, the 2008-2010 AU Mediation Work Programme was initiated to support the AU in developing capacity to analyse conflict situations, carry out mediation interventions and support peace processes.
The report is based on a seminar of policymakers, civil society representatives and mediation experts, and draws lessons from two case studies: Somalia and Burundi.
- The Somalia case demonstrated that it was important for the AU and other African actors to speak with one voice. It also emphasised the important role played by the media in influencing the local population.
- The Burundi case showed the importance of making use of national resources and capabilities where appropriate and conducive to dialogue. It also demonstrated the potential for well-chosen external mediators (in this case Nyerere and Mandela) to provide a boost to the peace process.
Collaboration with a range of African and international actors is critical to strengthening the AU’s role in mediation and conflict prevention in Africa. These partnerships should be made more equal – the relationship between the AU and the UN has been described in the past as a ‘mixture of paternalism and partnership’. Further recommendations are to:
- Institutionalise mediation: This should be achieved by acquiring mediation expertise, developing a viable concept of mediation and moving away from ad hoc processes. The formulation of a mediation doctrine would remove the reliance on ‘quick fix’ methods, which may be counterproductive.
- Establish early warning systems: A unit should be formed within the PSC to monitor and evaluate evolving conflict dynamics.
- Institutionalise lesson-learning: Establish measures to learn from experiences and record lessons for the future. The AU’s Panel of the Wise provides a means of institutionalising knowledge of experienced mediators.
- Engage with civil society: Civil society should play a key role in mediation processes. It has specialist knowledge, is close to issues on the ground and is able to engage a range of stakeholders at a number of levels. Civil society can also support post-conflict nation-building and is uniquely placed to assist early warning.
