The article “After 50 Years of the OAU-AU: Time to Strengthen the Conflict Intervention Framework” explains why new strategies are needed to ensure the African Union (AU) is valuable towards addressing humanitarian crises. This is the case because Africa is the only continent that is grappling with specific challenges such as poverty. Many countries in the continent are characterized by quandaries such as insecurity, humanitarian crisis, and corruption. These challenges are evident despite the fact that the African Union (AU) has an existing framework for security and peace. Evidences show clearly that this pan-African body is ineffectual towards mitigating various predicaments in Africa (Mentam & Agbor, 2013). The article shows clearly that the infectiveness of the AU’s intervention framework is caused by both ideological and logistical aspects.
From an ideological perspective, the AU analyzes the issue of non-interference especially when focusing on the problems affecting specific nations. This approach has been observed to dictate the AU’s decision-making approach. Mentam and Agbor (2013) argue that the wars and unrests experienced in many African nations can be attributed to poor governance. Unfortunately, the AU does not have adequate strategies to promote effective governance in different member states. Incidentally, the organization treats corporate governance as an internal affair that should be addressed by national leaders.
The AU established a new arm aimed at protecting the rights and freedoms of every person in Africa. This arm is called “the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights” (Mentam & Agbor, 2013, para. 2). However, the AU has encountered numerous problems whenever trying to make interventional decisions for specific countries. The problem encountered whenever trying to achieve consensus explains why the organization has failed to address various conflicts. That being the case, the AU should consider the most desirable governance ideas to promote peace in Africa.
The authors go further to describe how various logistical issues continue to affect the effectiveness of the AU. For instance, the continent lacks adequate technologies and resources. As well, the AU lacks technical strategies to respond to a wide range of crises. Poor planning is something that impairs the organization’s ability to respond to various conflicts (Maru, 2013). This fact explains why countries such as Sudan and Congo are struggling with internal conflicts. The organization does not have adequate tools to assess different situations and identify the best interventions. This incapability explains why different member states fail to support the AU’s initiatives.
That being the case, the article explains why the AU should collaborate with the United Nations (UN) to address different conflicts in Africa. For example, the cooperation between the two agencies has led to positive results in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan (Maru, 2013). The article encourages the AU to strengthen different regional economic communities (RECs). Such RECs will play a positive role towards addressing conflicts before they get out of hand (Mentam & Agbor, 2013). The role of transnational corporations (TNCs) should be streamlined in order to mitigate conflicts in different mineral-rich states (Maru, 2013).
In conclusion, this continental body should restructure its frameworks and policies in order to respond effectively to various humanitarian catastrophes. It should also collaborate with other organizations whenever addressing various challenges. This move will make it easier for the AU to cope with numerous difficulties catalyzed by the current global economy (Mentam & Agbor, 2013). This is the case because the wave of globalization presents numerous challenges and economic problems that must be addressed in a timely manner.
References
Maru, M. (2013). The Organization of African Unity (OAU)/African Union at 50. Pambazuka. Web.
Mentam, T., & Agbor, J. (2013). After 50 years of the OAU-AU: time to strengthen the conflict intervention framework. Brookings. Web.