By AGGREY MUTAMBO

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The African Union (AU) wants member states to adopt stronger peace enforcement, rather than the traditional peacekeeping, missions across the continent as a better tool to fight insurgencies.

The proposal from the AU’s Commission for Political Affairs, Peace and Security admits peacekeeping, the arrangement where the UN authorises troops to guard peace on the defensive while limited on use of force, can no longer be useful for Africa’s new security problems.

Instead, Bankole Adeoye, the Nigerian diplomat who is the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security at the African Union, says the continent should go for enforcement. Under enforcement, troops can use force to stop attacks or prevent clashes between armed groups, preserving peace.

“The concept of peacekeeping and protection of civilians, of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), is not as relevant to the needs of Africa given the emerging security threats and challenges. Concerted action is therefore required from the international community in support of Africa’s efforts to defeat the scourge of terrorism and violent extremism,” he said while presenting a report to the AU Assembly last week.

“It is in this regard that the commission is promoting the concept of peace enforcement. It is imperative to call on the UN to support the initiative of the Commission towards Peace enforcement on the continent including in Cabo Delgado, Amisom and Lake Chad.”

Under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, peacekeeping missions must operate on three principles; parties must consent to them, the missions must be impartial and the troops cannot use force except in self-defence or in defence of their mandate, which has to be authorised by the UNSC.

“We agree with the AU that the continent needs a lot more peace enforcement. Particularly to be able to take back territorial control from terrorist groups with transnational and international character,” Dr Martin Kimani, Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York told The EastAfrican.

“In multiple countries, protracted terrorist actions are producing profound humanitarian crises, and reversing hard-won economic gains. Peacekeeping, at its best, supports and consolidates peace agreements. But such agreements are rare with these groups whose aims can barely be recognised as part of normal political discourse.”

Bottom-up process

Peace enforcement, though also permitted by the UNSC, differs in that troops can deploy force and use it for forcibly break a fight or guard ceasefire. In conventional warfare where combatants meet in a field to fight, enforcement can be easier. But lasting peace may still need something else, experts say.

“First of all, whether peacekeeping or peace enforcements, [the] search for peace should be a bottom-up process, not to vice versa. There is an increasing acceptance that peace cannot just be reduced to ceasefires and peace deals,” Dr Hawa Noor, associate fellow, Institute for Intercultural and International Studies, University of Bremen, told The EastAfrican on Thursday.

“It is complex, but it is only by involving all actors that peace can work. In many instances, this has not been the case despite having superior weapons to those of the armed groups.”

For Dr Noor, opinions of the local population: who are the target of these missions is important for organic peace to emerge. “That is if we learn from experience and especially the latest case of Afghanistan… and this of course without underestimating gains and the well-meant intentions of donors and contributing countries.”

The report did not show whether the changeover would be immediate, given the proposal may eventually have to be considered by the UNSC.

But officials cited the insurgencies in Somalia, Mozambique and the Sahel as well as militia groups sprouting across the central Africa region as one reason peacekeepers won’t manage to bring lasting peace.

The continental body said it is finalising arrangements that will see ready regional forces to tackle coups or coup attempts, and will serve under the African Standby Force. Once the Force’s operational framework is ready, a unit will be established to combat terrorism, he said.

Counterterrorism experts say enforcement may be useful in dealing with groups like al-Shabaab that do not plan to negotiate with governments.

“There’s a place for both (as with all peace and security issues) as context is what matters most,” said Tabitha Mwangi, counterterrorism and security researcher in Nairobi.

“If dealing with a non-state armed group whose modus operandi is terrorism as in the case of Al-Shabaab, peace enforcement comes in handy as you’re not able to negotiate and reason with certain members of the group because they believe that your very existence as a state such as Kenya is an existential threat to them.

“As such, you’ll need to use military force to regain territory from the group and maintain that peace (peace enforcement).”

The enforcement, she argued, must be accompanied with ‘soft power’ such as engaging with communities to support the campaign against insurgents.

In fact, enforcement may be unnecessary in places of civil war as it could make peacebuilding difficult. In Afghanistan, US and Nato-allied forces deployment emboldened the Taliban who used the occasion to portray foreign forces as occupiers. Enforcement though worked in Kuwait and Western allies forced Iraqi forces out of Kuwait to comply with the ceasefire.

In Africa, peacekeeping is blamed for failing to deal with killings such as the Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994. Although there was a peacekeeping mission in Rwanda then, it did not respond early enough to prevent the massacres.

“Peacekeeping has been successful in the past, for instance in Liberia where there was disarmament of former militants of whom some were reintegrated successfully,” Ms Mwangi added.

“Improvements made to peacekeeping operations such as the inclusion of women have made these operations successful as communities feel that their needs and priorities are not overlooked by those out to oversee ceasefires which in the long term promotes sustainable peace,” she explained.

In the meantime, however, observers say conflict should be addressed as a whole including providing humanitarian aid to communities, protection of civilians, disarmament, and reintegration of former fighters; support for electoral processes to promote legitimate governments and supporting development projects.

“Overlooking this is looking to win the battle (short term) while setting oneself for defeat in the war (long term) as it doesn’t give any space for locals to exercise their own agency in the quest for peace and security,” argued Tabitha Mwangi in an interview.