African Union and the Quest for Peace and Security in Africa: A Critique

This chapter, with the aid of in-depth interviews and secondary materials, undertakes a critique of the African Union (AU) security architecture for ensuring peace and stability in Africa since 2002. Specifically, it examines the credibility of the AU as a security actor with the capacity to provide peace and security on the African continent. The chapter revealed that the AU has had some successes in the aspect of conflict management, while reliance on external funding and lack of political will are some of its greatest obstacles. It also reveals that the AU can best be described as a nominal security actor because of its inability to match capability with its aspiration. It concluded that a periodic and persistent appraisal of AU security architecture is essential for its growth. Also, effort should be made to ensure the member state’s compliance with the organisation’s norms for greater efficiency.