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ECOWAS’s Efforts at Resolving Guinea-Bissau’s Protracted Political Crisis, 2015-2019
A power struggle between former President José Mário Vaz and Guinea-Bissau’s ruling Party for the Independence for Guinea and Cape Verde plunged the country into a series of political and institutional crises following the dismissal of Prime Minister Domingos Simões Pereira in August 2015. From the beginning, ECOWAS took an active role in resolving the impasse, embarking on several rounds of mediation missions led by former and current regional heads of state, as well as a delegation of regional ministers. The culmination of these efforts resulted in the October 2016 Conakry Accord, a 10-point roadmap for resolution designed to foster political stability and cooperation among the country’s governing members. ECOWAS’s sustained engagement in Guinea-Bissau provides a blueprint for future political and institutional crises in the region.
Bridging the Gap in the Nile Waters Dispute
Ethiopia’s decision to build the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in 2011 triggered a three-way dispute between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan that remains unresolved. Settling the dispute before the dam comes online is critical for mitigating the risk for future conflict. Nile basin countries can take a number of trust-building measures to reduce mutual suspicion. In the short term, the three countries should reach an agreement on how quickly Ethiopia will fill the dam’s reservoir. In the long-term, negotiating a comprehensive transboundary resource management agreement could provide a lasting framework for resource sharing.
The impact of U.S. security sector assistance (SSA) in Africa on political violence, particularly on civil war, insurgencies, terrorist attacks, and state repression has rarely been evaluated. A statistical analysis reveals that SSA has a had a mixed record, likely exacerbating instability during the Cold War, but having little net effect since. Governments have been unable to sustain the capabilities developed and to harness them into effective political militaries. When SSA is coupled with peacekeeping operations however, it diminishes the likelihood of political violence.
Solidarity in Peace and Security: The Nordic-African Partnership
Nordic countries’ decades-long peace and security engagement in Africa has centered on African interests, long-term partnerships, and building African capacity.
Implementing Peace and Security Architecture: West Africa
Established in 1975, ECOWAS has responded to a series of crises since the 1990s. In the process, the regional body has carved out a framework for mediation and intervention for its member states. However, ECOWAS interventions have yielded mixed outcomes. There have been political and diplomatic achievements but the group’s military record has been less successful. To improve this, ECOWAS should better prepare and integrate its multinational Standby Force, implement administrative reforms to develop a results-based culture, and strengthen democratic norms within the political and security institutions of its member states.
Good Talk, Not Enough Action: The AU’s Counterterrorism Architecture, and Why It Matters
Terrorist organizations do not abide by state boundaries; they use borders to escape or expand their reach. The African Union (AU) has thus taken a continental approach to provide a unified counter terrorism framework. However, many states have not implemented the framework due to lack of capacity and political will. In order to make its continental strategy work the AU must: ensure that member states continue to ratify the Algiers Convention; investigate countries that operate outside the continental framework; and better fund, staff, and manage the Peace and Security Council and the African Court of Justice and Human Rights.
Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea
Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea accounted for 30 percent of all attacks in African waters between 2003 and 2011, and that proportion is increasing. Likewise, illegal fishing is also expanding. These trends directly threaten vital revenues from oil production and sea-based trade as well as a critical source of income and food for numerous Africans that depend on fisheries. To improve security and governance in shared West and Central African maritime domains, overlapping initiatives and multiple maritime regional bodies will need to be integrated.
Building Africa’s Airlift Capacity: A Strategy for Enhancing Military Effectiveness
Growing security threats posed by agile and maneuverable forces such as narcotics traffickers, coastal pirate gangs, and nonstate militias have underscored the critical importance of security force mobility to monitor and protect Africa’s enormous land mass and more than 30,000 km of coastline. While commonly viewed as too expensive, airlift assets provide vital capabilities and multiply the effectiveness of Africa’s resource-limited militaries and collective peace operations.
The China-Africa Toolkit: A Resource for African Policymakers
In addition to $100 billion in annual two-way trade, China provides $13 billion in assistance and supports several peace operations in Africa. To better shape this relationship in a form that enhances and sustains development Africa’s policymakers should familiarize themselves with the fundamental drivers of Chinese interests on the continent.
Peace, Security and the African Peer Review Mechanism: Are the Tools up to the Task?
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) offers a powerful tool to improve security sector governance and security capacity in Africa. Assessments of Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda have identified conflict vulnerabilities and opportunities to improve security institutions. Improvements to APRM guidelines, panels of experts, and country submissions could further enhance the potential security and stability benefits from the process.
A Panel of the Wise comprised of five elder African statesmen was created by the African Union to independently facilitate conflict resolution, conduct shuttle diplomacy, and develop proposals to enhance general security and stability. Adjustments to the panel’s communications strategy and engagement with civil society may further elevate its impact on conflict prevention and stabilization.
The Role of SADC in Managing Political Crisis and Conflict: The Cases of Madagascar and Zimbabwe
Whereas the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for years refrained from intervening in various political crises in Zimbabwe, the regional economic community more quickly and effectively responded to recent instability in Madgascar. SADC’s overall influence and ability to resolve these and other regional challenges will require institutionalized crisis response mechanisms as current ad hoc efforts diminish its credibility, unity, and range of options.
Ghana’s Foreign Policy and Transnational Security Challenges in West Africa
Focuses on Ghana’s security culture as reflected in its foreign policy, and how it has influenced the way the country addresses transnational security challenges in ECOWAS.
Indo-African Defence Cooperation: Need For Enhanced Thrust
India has a growing relationship with Africa and enhanced military-to-military exchange can further improve these ties to mutual benefit. Given shared security interests and the value of greater South-South cooperation, India can enhance its current relationship with Africa by helping to fill capacity-building gaps toward a more constructive engagement.
China’s African Aid: Transatlantic Challenges
China’s growing assistance and loans in Africa have often been interpreted as a strategic effort to gain diplomatic leverage and secure proprietary access to natural resources. Yet China distributes aid widely across the continent, not just to resource-rich countries suggesting a more complex Chinese engagement in Africa and a still-evolving aid policy.
India’s Expanding Relations with Africa and Their Implications for U.S. Interests
A brief history of India-Africa relations, followed by India’s current interests on the continent, especially with regards to military cooperation and natural resources.
Security Topics: Regional and International Security Cooperation