African "Homemade" Peacekeeping Initiatives

In: Armed forces & society, Volume 23, Issue 3, p. 349-371

Abstract

The end of the Cold War altered the perspective of conflict resolution globally. One such alteration is the transformed nature of the tasks performed by the military in operations designed to control violent conflicts. Some of the most significant changes have occurred in Africa, where peacekeeping has escalated beyond traditionally accepted principle to include enforcement in a bid to control destructive internal conflicts (e.g., Liberia and Somalia). This article argues that the decline in Africa's strategic importance has compelled Africans to take greater responsibility for the resolution of conflicts in their region, and to employ more severe strategies in dealing with these conflicts. It also analyzes Africa's major peacekeeping operations, and contrasts the traditional peacekeeping strategy employed by the OAU force in Chad with the more severe strategy employed by ECOWAS in Liberia.