Description
The peace and security landscape in Africa continues to face dynamic waves of threats ranging from inter-state tensions to military coups, internal armed conflict and terrorism. The Sahel region specifically has in recent years witnessed an alarming rise in ‘borderless extremist activities.’ The threat becomes more complex when considered alongside lingering global issues such as climate change, geopolitical tension, the involvement of opposing blocs in Africa’s political, economic and security affairs, and technological advancement. The changing landscape and resulting uncertainty prompt a pertinent question on the capacity of the current peace and security frameworks to address future challenges.
A fundamental limitation of most of Africa’s peace and security frameworks lies in the failure to adopt a reflective culture that enables regular evaluation of implemented efforts. Consequently, this results in frameworks that are considered inadequate, counterproductive or simply redundant. This is evidenced by a critical view of the limitations of the African Union’s mediation and peace support operations, which were solely tailored to address civil conflicts and wars. Another popular view observes the tendency of these tools to over-rely on conflict management and resolution rather than conflict prevention. As a result, African states continue to experience cycles of conflicts that further widen structural gaps and reproduce more conflicts. This panel aims to discuss the current capacity of Africa’s peace and security frameworks in light of emerging threats, while also highlighting the need for a ‘reshaping’ that suits purpose.
This discussion mirrors the objective of the BISA 2025 conference, a reflection on the current state and future challenges of international relations. Similarly, we aim to examine the current and emerging wave of threats to Africa’s peace and security, which are continually evolving as is the global security landscape. Additionally, we assess the capacity and capability of Africa’s peace and security frameworks in responding to these emerging threats and the need for a shift towards more proactive, flexible and adaptable frameworks. The proposed panel aims to contribute to more tailored, effective and efficient peace and security frameworks in Africa, which have become the epicentre of perpetual political crisis, terrorism, climate change, and hegemonic struggles.
