AU Intensifies Integration Moves

With 2010 declared The Year Peace, the African Union, AU, has been increasing moves to raise peace awareness and unify the continent.

The route to African Unity as dreamt of by the Kwame Nkrumahs who gave birth to the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the modern architects of the African Union like Muammar al-Gaddafi may be long, but African Union (AU) officials are hopeful that the continent can meet its set goals. However, many are yet to see the visible signs that the transformation from the OAU to the AU has meant in the life of the continent. Consequently, several specialised structures now exist within the African Union to identify and foster the development ambitions of the African peoples.

Peace and Security Council (PSC): The Peace and Security Council was officially launched in 2004. It has a wide mandate although most of the provisions governing its functioning are yet to function. Besides peace building initiatives, the PSC works closely with the Situation Room at the AU Headquarters that keeps watch on happenings in all the countries thereby enabling the AU to have a Continental Early Warning System. Thus, the unfolding of political events in countries is keenly followed by the AU.

Perhaps, one of the greatest challenges that the structure will have to tackle for some time on the continent is unconstitutional change of power that has beset Africa since impendence. Putting it down black and white in Article 23 of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance adopted in 2007 in Addis Ababa, the AU is out to demonstrate its awareness of the need for member countries to install democratic rule. Evidently, that is not the easiest of tasks, looking at situations such as Guinea-Conakry, Madagascar etc.

Election Assistance: As if to ensure the existence of instruments that can enable the AU tackle the numerous problems posed by electoral squabbles across Africa, a new unit for Elections Assistance came into being in 2002 in Durban, South Africa. Since its inception, officials say they are working to ensure electoral process standards, mobilising funds for technical expertise, facilitating capacity building, having a data base for election observers, developing tool kits and training manual among others. Of course, AU experts grappling with the application of all this, know that despite the acceptance by African countries to set up such structures, the obstacles to implementing the values on the ground are many and varied.

Shared Values: Ensuring that the entire continent looks towards the same direction, be it in matters of peace, security, democracy, or human rights has never been the easiest of tasks since African countries began gaining independence. It is probably with this in mind that the January Summit 2011 of the African Union will focus on developing a set of shared values that can cut across the continent. This is where the shoe can actually pinch. For instance, answering the question of how to create commonalities among African people, can the integration of Africa be fast tracked? How do you instil a form of meritocracy in the African Public Service that will be acceptable to all? Apparently, the creation of the Political Affairs Department with the aim of ensuring an African Governance Architecture may help the AU carve out values that will make the entire continent identify with.

Humanitarian Actions: Besides handling man-made crises, the African Union has come to realise that nations must have a preponderant role to play in times of natural disasters and the humanitarian crises that come along with such disasters. Although the humanitarian actions of the AU are hardly visible on the ground, the existence of a department to cater for such needs allows African countries to adopt rules that can be binding in times of crisis. However, the absence of compliance mechanisms on the continent for decades now has not augured well for the implementation of decisions.

Year of Peace: “Make Peace Happen in Africa” has been another watchword at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. And for good reason. For instance by adopting the August 2009 Tripoli Declaration to proclaim 2010 as The Year of Peace and Security, African leaders are aware of the fact that “continuing conflicts are the greatest impediment to sustainable economic growth and development on the continent.” Thus, all activities and events by the AU this year have had peace and security as the focal issue. To the AU Chairperson, Jean Ping, “This is Africa’s moment to live for our people and to make history.” The days and years ahead will definitely tell if Africa would be able to overcome these challenges that have been stifling progress within the continent. It is only by effectively bringing the leadership under the same thinking cap that such ambitious dreams of unity in African can come to fruition.

Richard K. KOMETA

In all, those involved in the AMANI Africa cycle have been upbeat that it is the best way for the AU to plan, conduct and pursue the deployment of the ASF as well as build the continent’s capacity to mount an effective integrated operation. Such execution stands a better chance of increasing the AU’s autonomy in conflict management and prevention. Thus the AU Chairperson, Jean Ping indicated at the closing ceremony that the African Standby Force is a demonstration of the “ability of the African Union to deploy and manage multidimensional peace support operations at an elevated level of engagement”.