Multidimensionalism or Militarism? A Decade of Experimentation in African Peace Support Operations

Abstract

The relationship between the military, police, and civilians within the African Peace and
Security Architecture (APSA) has, at times, been characterised by considerable tension
and mistrust. This bears direct implications on the effectiveness of the African Union
in promoting peace and stability on the continent. This article explores the evolution of
the African Standby Force (ASF) based on case studies of the Eastern Africa Standby
Force (EASF) and ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) to understand why and how the 2015
bench mark for achieving ASF’s full operation capability did not happen. The article
argues that, with regard to the uncertainty surrounding the evolution of the ASF; it is
not enough to focus solely on the macro-level factors affecting the evolution of ASF.
Instead, internal processes and structures such as the attitude of peacekeepers to each
other is, without doubt, an inseparable part of the ‘sluggishness’ in the realization of a
rapid deployment capability (RDC). It is, therefore, more appropriate to consider the
role of internal processes and civil-military power relations in the evolution of the ASF
post-2015.