A Case for African-promoted Peacebuilding Strategies with Specific Reference to AMISOM, the Juba Peace Process and IGAD’s interventions in South Sudan

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a study that scrutinized the setting, facilitation,
actors, content, successes and failures of the African Union Mission in Somalia
(AMISOM), the Juba Peace Process and the Inter-Governmental Authority on
Development (IGAD)’s interventions in the ongoing crisis in South Sudan to: 1)
reach value judgments on the potential of African solutions to resolve the ongoing
conflicts on the African continent; and 2) disaggregate the role of both African
and non-African actors in promoting the effectiveness of these solutions. Using
evidences from relevant reports and related literature, the study contends that,
in concurrence with past authors on the subject, African-promoted peacebuilding
efforts have potential for capitalizing on the values those parties in conflict situations
share, thereby promoting ownership of and commitment to peaceful resolution.
Notwithstanding, the study also reports that these efforts have been associated with
constraining limitations, adding that interventions by multi-national organisations
are supposedly undertaken to address these limitations. Therefore, the paper
argues that interventions into peacebuilding efforts by non-African organisations
are to be seen as having pros and cons. Contending that, despite their known
shortfalls, African-promoted peacebuilding efforts give better promise of more
sustainable peace; the paper propounds—for relevant organisations and policy
persons—actionable recommendations towards enhancing the prioritisation and
effectiveness of African-promoted peacebuilding strategies.