Missions with hindrance : African Union (AU) and peacekeeping operations

Abstract

Peacekeeping has been a dominant theme of the African Union (AU) for decades and major operations have been undertaken by the regional organisation. This article takes into perspective an assessment of the AU peacekeeping operations, amidst its challenges and politics within the context of continental peace and security. The paper discovers that AU missions on the continent have been stalled by a lot of factors in the last few decades. These dynamics have made the AU role appears to be facilitating role to the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping rather than a dominant character. The paper concludes that when the overarching issues were addressed, the AU capacities and the proclivities for successful peacekeeping operation are at its ultimate.