ARTICLES

The African Union peace and security architecture: Can the Panel of the Wise make a difference?

Ademola Jegede

Project Consultant, Negotiation and Conflict Management Group, Nigeria

SUMMARY

This article focuses on the establishment of the Panel of the Wise in the African Union peace and security architecture. It examines the basis, design and role of the Panel, and explores the possibilities that can be employed by the Panel in promoting the internalisation of peace and security in Africa. The writer makes recommendations in respect of the membership, norms and mandate scope of the Panel, and expresses confidence that, if properly designed and operationalised, the Panel will make a difference in the peace and security architecture of the African Union.

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* LLB (Hons) (Ife), LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa (Pretoria), MPH (Ibadan), BL (Nigerian Law School); gad_law@yahoo.com; demola.jegede@ncmggroup.org. This article is based on the author's dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the degree LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa) 2008, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria.
1 OAU Doc AHG/Decl 1 (XXXVII) adopted by the 37th ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the OAU, held in Lusaka, Zambia, from 9 to 11 July 2001.
2 Adopted at the 1st ordinary session of the Assembly of the Heads of State, Durban, South Africa, 9 July 2002, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 9 July 2002.
3 PSC Protocol arts 1-21.
4 Adopted at the 2nd extraordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU held in Sirte, Libya from 27 to 28 February 2004; arts 7, 8(a)-(v) and 9 contain common non-traditional security threats facing Africa. See also T Murithi The African Union: Pan-Africanism, peacebuilding and development (2005) 25;         [ Links ] M Mwanasali 'Emerging security architecture in Africa' (February 2004) 7 Centre for Policy Studies Policy Issues and Actors 4;         [ Links ] J Cilliers 'The African standby force: An update on progress' (March 2008) Paper 160 Institute for Security Studies 4-6.         [ Links ]
5 SA Salim 'The architecture of peace snd Security in Africa' address during the African Development Forum III, 'Defining Priorities for Regional Integration' 3-8 March 2002, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.         [ Links ]
6 PSC Protocol art 11(2).
7 PSC Protocol art 11(1).
8 AU Doc Assembly/AU/Dec 152(VIII).
9 'Panel of the Wise - Operationalising the African Union's mediation framework' ISS Today 23 August 2007.         [ Links ]
10 Modalities of the Panel of the Wise, adopted by the Peace and Security Council at its 100th meeting held on 12 November 2007.
11 AU Document EX CL/438(XIII) Assembly of the African Union 11th ordinary session 30 June to 1 July 2008.
12 A Mazrui 'Towards containing conflict in Africa: Methods, mechanisms and values' (1995) 2 East African journal of Peace and Human Rights 81-90;         [ Links ] J Mallan 'Conflict resolution wisdom from Africa' 1997 ACCORD 9-17;         [ Links ] EE Osaghae 'Applying traditional methods to modern conflict: Possibilities and limits' in IW Zartman (ed) Traditional cures for modern conflicts: African conflict medicine (2000) 201-230;         [ Links ] NA Fadipe Sociology of the Yoruba (1970) 106;         [ Links ] K Wiredu Philosophy and an African culture (1980).         [ Links ]
13 In his view, Julius Nyeyere pointed out the need for Africa to start from its 'Africanness' and a belief in its own past to chart solutions for contemporary challenges; JK Nyeyere Freedom and unity (Uhuru na Umoja): A selection of writings and speeches 1952-65 (1967) 316.         [ Links ]
14 K Gyekye An essay on African philosophical thought: Akan conceptual framework (1987) 18;         [ Links ] Mazrui (n 12 above) 85-86; LP Kimilike 'An African perspective on poverty proverbs in the book of proverbs: An analysis of transformational possibilities' unpublished PhD thesis, University of Pretoria, 2006 95.         [ Links ]
15 http://www.ccsu.edu/afstudy/upd1-4.html (accessed 13 September 2008).
16 As above.
17 JL Comaroff & S Roberts Rules and processes: The cultural logic of dispute in African context (1981) 109.         [ Links ]
18 S Nanda Cultural anthropology (1987) 96-98.         [ Links ]
19 CJ Witty Mediation and society: Conflict management in Lebanon (1980) 6.         [ Links ]
20 F Ssereo 'Clan-politics, clan-democracy and conflict regulation in Africa: The experience of Somalia' (2003) 2 The Global Review of Ethnopolitics 26.         [ Links ]
21 As above.
22 M Bryden Rebuilding Somaliland: Issues and possibilities (2003) 6-27.         [ Links ]
23 Bryden (n 22 above) 25.
24 S Dzivenu 'The politics of inclusion and exclusion of traditional authorities in Africa: Chiefs and justice administration in Botswana and Ghana' (2008) 2 Political Perspectives 1 7.         [ Links ]
25 As above.
26 As above.
27 K Appiagyei-Atua 'A rights-centred critique of African philosophy in the context of African development' (2004) 10 East African journal of Peace and Human Rights 55-56.         [ Links ]
28 Wiredu (n 12 above) 2-5.
29 J Gundel The predicament of the Oday: The role of traditional structures in security, rights, law and development in Somalia (2006) 21 http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INtLAWJUSTINST/Resources/Gundel Theroleoftraditionalstructures_1.doc (accessed 10 September 2008).         [ Links ]
30 Osaghe (n 12 above) 214-215.
31 Osaghe (n 12 above) 215.
32 AE Afigbo The making of modern Africa (1986) 30.         [ Links ]
33 FO Hampson Nurturing Peace: Why peace agreements fail or succeed (1996) 217;         [ Links ] IW Zartman 'Introduction: African traditional conflict medicine' in IW Zartman (ed) Traditional cures for modern conflicts: African conflict medicine (2000) 2.         [ Links ]
34 UNESCO has argued that culture is critical to development and that development must be engaged in the context and through the medium of human cultures. Preface to UNESCO, 'Recognising culture: A series of Briefing Papers on Culture and Development' http://www.unesco.org/culture/development/briefings/html_eng/foreword.shtml (accessed 9 September 2008).         [ Links ]
35 The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, art 89(1).         [ Links ]
36 The 1993 Constitution of Lesotho, art 95(1).         [ Links ]
37 The 2005 Constitution of the Kingdom of Swaziland, sec 235(4).         [ Links ]
38 The 1997 Constitution of Somaliland, art 57.         [ Links ]
39 The 1995 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, art 62(6).         [ Links ]
40 In pre-colonial times, the term Bashingantahe was used to designate a body of men renowned for their sense of truth, justice and responsibility for the overall good of the community. However, the institution is now composed of both men and women, at community level, who possess the desired attributes of wisdom, calm and a love of truth, entrusting them with the authority to arbitrate in certain disputes; http://daga.dhs.org/urugopeace/Burundi/bashingantahe.htm (accessed 22 October 2008).
41 The 2004 Post-Transition Interim Constitution of the Republic of Burundi, art 269.
42 The 2004 Constitution of the Central Africa Republic, art 104.
43 ECOWAS Protocol, art 20.
44 As above.
45The Guardian 23 May 2008 http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/news/article05//indexn2_html?pdate =230508&ptitle=Obiakor (accessed 9 September 2008).         [ Links ]
46 SADC Protocol, art 11(3)(a).
47 As above.
48 SADC News/Press Release http://www.foreign.gov.ls/news/SADC_Eminent_Person_Mission.php (accessed 9 September 2008).         [ Links ]
49 'Kenya crisis talks end' Nation News 30 July 2008 http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/445014/-/tj26d7/-/index.html (accessed 9 September 2008).         [ Links ]
50 'Uganda: Chissano in Gulu to salvage LRA-Govt peace deal' http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79868 (accessed 20 October 2008).         [ Links ]
51 'Zimbabwe crisis: Thabo Mbeki's role' http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2008/jun/23/zimbabwecrisisthabombekisr (accessed 20 October 2008).         [ Links ]
52 IW Zartman 'Inter-African negotiations and state renewal' in JW Harbeson & D Roth-child (eds) Africa in world politics: The African state system in flux (2000) 142.         [ Links ]
53 A Acharya & A Johnston 'Comparing regional institutions' in A Acharya & A Johnston (eds) Crafting co-operation: Regional Institutions in comparative perspective (2007) 21-22.         [ Links ]
54 This means how inclusive or exclusive is the membership.
55 This refers to how narrow or broad are the issues that the institution is designed to handle.
56 This entails a set of rules or policies governing how decisions are made.
57 This refers to the formal and informal ideology of the institution.
58 This refers to the general purpose of the institution.
59 PSC Protocol, art 11(2).
60 As above.
61 n 10 above, para III (1)(f).
62 W Ury Getting to say yes: Negotiating agreement without giving in (1991) 20.         [ Links ]
63 'Kenya crisis talks end in failure' BBC News 10 January 2008 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7181184.stm (accessed 8 September 2008).         [ Links ]
64 'Kenya crisis could take a year to end' Skye News 30 January 2008 http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-News-Archive/Article/20082851302827 (accessed 8 September 2008);         [ Links ] 'Kenya crisis talks end' Nation News 30 July 2008 http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/445014/-/tj26d7/-/index.html (accessed 9 September 2008).         [ Links ]
65 'Kenya failure breaches African Union ambition' Reuters 11 January 2008 http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1171753120080111 (accessed 10 September 2008).         [ Links ]
66 Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace-keeping and Security, art 20.
67 'Gambia President heads ECOWAS mission to Nigeria' Afrol News 22 January 2007 http://www.afrol.com/articles/23932 (accessed 20 October 2008).         [ Links ]
68 ECOWAS 'Advisory Board for small arms in West Africa' http://www.iansa.org/regions/wafrica/BoardECOWAS.htm (accessed 20 October 2008).         [ Links ]
69 n 10 above, para IV.
70 n 10 above, para IV(3).
71 As above.
72 n 10 above, para IV(4).
73 n 10 above, para IV(5).
74 As above.
75 n 10 above, para IV(8).
76 As above.
77 Examples of these include Kenya's conflict between Rilal Odinga and Kibaki; and Zimbabwe's election crisis between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai.
78 Protocol on Amendments to the Constitutive Act of the African Union adopted in Maputo, Mozambique on 11 July 2003. As of May 2007, the Protocol had not entered into force. The Protocol amended art 4(h) of the AU Constitutive Act to include intervention in the event of 'a serious threat to legitimate order to restore peace and stability to the member state of the Union upon the recommendation of the Peace and Security Council'.
79 A Salim, quoted in C Peck Sustainable peace: The rule of the UN and regional organisations in preventing conflict (1998) 160.         [ Links ]
80 n 10 above,) paras III(1)(a)-(c).
81 n 10 above, para III(1)(d).
82 n 10 above, para VI.
83 Press statement of the Panel of the Wise, 2nd meeting, 17 July 2008, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
84 Côte d'Ivoire ratified the the PSC Protocol on 24 August 2007 http://www.africa-union.org/root/au/Documents/Treaties/List/Peace%20and%20Security%20Protocol.pdf (accessed 13 September 2009).
85 F Viljoen International human rights law in Africa (2007) 216.         [ Links ]
86 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties 1969, art 26.
87 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties 1969, art 53.
88 n 10 above, para III(1)(d) of the Modalities and PSC Protocol art 10(2)(b), which place a similar responsibility on the Panel and Special Envoys in their relationship with the Chairperson of the African Commission.
89 Zartman (n 33 above) 2-3.
90 Ambassador Ramtane Lamara, AU's Commissioner for Peace and Security, stamped the Panel with three seals, namely, 'seals of experience, independence and hope' in 'AU's Panel of the Wise gather to discuss conflicts and peace building in Africa' Sub-Saharan Informer 22 July 2008 http://www.ssinformer.com/news/africa/african_union/2008/July/18/Aup _18_08_08_001.html (accessed 10 September 2008).         [ Links ]
91 L Whitehead Democratisation - Theory and experience (2002) 27.         [ Links ]
92 See C Legum (ed) Africa contemporary record (1996-1998);         [ Links ] C Young 'Africa: An interim balance sheet' (1996) 7 Journal of Democracy 53 54;         [ Links ] SP Hutchington The third wave of democratisation in the late twentieth century (1991);         [ Links ] J Wiseman Democracy in black Africa: Survival and revival (1990).         [ Links ]
93 M Bratton et al Public opinion, democracy and market reform in Africa: Regime transitions in comparative perspective (2005);         [ Links ] E Gyimah-Boadi (ed) Democratic reform in Africa: The quality of progress (2004);         [ Links ] JF Bayart The state in Africa: The politics of the belly (1993).         [ Links ]
94 A Olukoshi 'Assessing Africa's new governance models' in J Oloka-Onyango & NK Muwanga (eds) Africa's new governance models: Debating form and substance (2007) 3-4.         [ Links ]
95 Lomé Declaration, AHG/Decl 5 (XXXVI) 2000.
96 AU Doc PSC/PR/Comm(XXV), 25 February 2005, para 3. Communiqué of the 25th meeting of the PSC.
97 AU Doc Assembly/AU/Decl 3(VI), Declaration on the Activities of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union and the State of Peace and Security in Africa.
98 Viljoen (n 85 above) 210.
99 AU Doc Communiqué PSC/PR/Comm (XVII), 20 October 2004.
100 DJ Scheffer 'Toward a modern doctrine of humanitarian intervention' (1992) 23 University of Toledo Law Review 264.         [ Links ]
101 RE Gordon 'Humanitarian intervention by the United Nations: Iraq, Somalia, and Haiti' (1996) 31 Texas International Law Journal 43-44.         [ Links ]
102 K Kindiki 'The normative and institutional framework of the African Union relating to the protection of human rights and the maintenance of international peace and security: A critical appraisal' (2003) 3 African Human Rights Journal 116.         [ Links ]
103 PSC Protocol, art 6.
104 Adopted by the OAU in Nairobi, Kenya, on 27 June 1981 and entered into force on 21October 1986, art 23.
105 Adopted by the 29th ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the OAU, held in Cairo, Egypt, 28 to 30 June 1993.
106 UN Secretary-General's Report on the Causes of Conflict and the Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa (1998), adopted by the UN General Assembly on 16 December 1998 Res 53/92) http://www.un.org/esa/africa/reports.html (accessed 10 October 2008).
107 Adopted by the First OAU Ministerial Conference on Human Rights in April 1999, Preamble.
108 AU Constitutive Act, art 3(f).
109 AU Constitutive Act, art 4(i).
110 AU Constitutive Act, art 4(j).
111 Reports of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission delivered at the 7th ordinary session of the Central Organ of the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution at Heads of State and Government Level in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 4 February 2003 (Central Organ/MEC/AHG/2 (VII)) paras 28-180.
112 Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the Establishment of a Continental Peace and Security Architecture and the Status of Peace Processes in Africa (2004) delivered at the launch of the Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 25 May 2004 (PSC/AHG/3 (IX)).
113 Commission of the African Union: 2004-2007 Strategic Plan Vol 2 http://www.africa-union.org/AU%20summit%202004/volume%202%20final%20-%20English%20%20June%202004.pdf (accessed 11 September 2008) 13-14.         [ Links ]
114 The G8 Summit held in Gleneagles, UK, from 6 to 8 July 2005, renewed its commitment to Africa and support for NEPAD; http://www.g8.gov.uk/servlete_operations (accessed 20 August 2008).
115 Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, of the one part, and the European Community and its member states, of the other part (Cotonou Agreement) (2000) signed in Cotonou, Benin, on 23 June 2000. Art 10(5) emphasises that broadly-based policies to promote peace and to prevent, manage and resolve violence conflicts shall play a prominent role in the dialogue of the partnership; http://europa.eu.int/comm/development/body/cotonou/pdf/agr01_en.pdf#zoom=100 (accessed 12 September 2008).
116 Paraphrased from Vegetius, quoted in M Sarrica & A Contarello 'Peace, war and conflict: Social representations shared by peace activists and non-activists' (2004) 41 5 Journal of Peace Research 549.
117 Sarrica & Contarello (n 116 above) 549.
118 K Bajpai 'Human security: concept and measurement' John B Kroc Institute Occasional Paper 19 August 2000 http://www.nd.edu/~krocinst/ocpapers/op_19_1.PDF (accessed 15 October 2008).         [ Links ]
119 B Buzan People, states and fear: An agenda for International security in the post-Cold War era (1991) 96-107;         [ Links ] Human Development Report: New dimensions of human security. http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr_1994_en_overview.pdf (accessed 15 October 2008).         [ Links ]
120 D Banerjee 'Security studies in South Asia: Change and challenge' (2000) Manoha 50.         [ Links ]
121 UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali prepared the ground-breaking 'Agenda for peace' pursuant to the request of the Security Council meeting at the Heads of States and Government level held on 31 January 1992, para 13.
122 Lawyers Committee for Human Rights African exodus: Refugee crisis, human rights and the 1969 OAU Refugee Convention (1995) 87-89.         [ Links ]
123 n 122 above, 64-71 78-80.
124 n 122 above, 54.
125 'The Zimbabwe situation' http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/oct21a_2008.html (accessed 25 October 2008).         [ Links ]
126 OAU Doc CAB/LEG/24.3 adopted 10 September 1969, entered into force 20 June 1974.
127 n 10 above, para III(1)(e).
128 M Ewi & K Aning 'Assessing the role of the African Union in preventing and combating terrorism in Africa' (2006) 15 African Security Review 32 38.         [ Links ]
129 AU Doc Mtg/HLIG/Conv.Terror/Plan (I), 11-14 September 2002.
130 PSC Protocol, art 3(d).
131 PSC Protocol, art 7(1)(i).
132 AU Doc Mtg/HLIG/Conv.Terror/Decl (II)Rev 2, 13-14 October 2004.
133 n 10 above, paras II(3) & VI.
134 n 10 above, para III(1)(c).
135 n 10 above, para III(1)(h).
136 The 2006 Constitution of DRC, art 23, which guarantees the right of people to peace and security, is an example of an exception to the trend.
137 n 10 above, para IV(8).
138 The Infrastructure of Peace in Africa Assessing the Peace-Building Capacity of African Institutions A Report submitted by the Africa Programme of the International Peace Academy to the Ford Foundation (2002) 23.         [ Links ]
139 Adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Nairobi, Kenya, 21 March 1996 http://www.igad.org/about/agreement_establishing_igad.pdf (accessed 8 October 2008).         [ Links ]
140 IGAD Agreement, arts 6(a) & (c).
141 PSC Protocol, art 16(1).
142 n 10 above, para VII(2); see also PSC Protocol, arts 18 & 19.
143 n 10 above, para VII(2).
144 PSC Protocol, art 18.
145 As above.
146 African Charter, art 52.
147 Viljoen (n 85 above) 330.
148 TICAD Tenth Anniversary Declaration (TICAD III) (2003) adopted at the Third Tokyo International Conference on African Development held in Tokyo, Japan, from 29 September to 1 October 2003 http://www.ticad.net/declaration2003.pdf (accessed 20 September 2008).
149 The G8 Summit held in Gleneagles, UK, from 6 to 8 July 2005, renewed its commitment to Africa and support for NEPAD http://www.g8.gov.uk/servlete_operations/ (accessed 20 September 2008) para 8.
150 Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States of the one part, and the European Community and its member states, of the other part (Cotonou Agreement) (2000) art 10(5).
151 See art 17 on the relationship betweeen the PSC and the UN and other international organisations.