A Critical Assessment of Multilateral Peace Keeping and Regional Security in Africa:A Focused Comparison of Eastern and Western Africa in the 21st Century.

Abstract

This study sought to examine the place of peacekeeping in the 21st-century regional agenda in Africa, with the main focus being on multilateral peacekeeping on regional security in Eastern Africa and West Africa. In order to attain this end, the study was guided by three objectives, and these were, to assess the impact of multilateral peacekeeping on regional security in Eastern Africa; to analyses the impact of multilateral peacekeeping on regional security in western Africa and to compare and contrast the western and eastern Africa experiences of multilateral peacekeeping and their impact on regional security. Multilateral peacekeeping operations of the 21st century were designed to address some of these challenges by not only responding to and resolving live internal conflict situations but also stabilizing post-conflict settings within countries and wider regions as well. Nonetheless, the problem of insecurity within and across regions persists. Against this background, this study seeks to undertake a focused comparison of multilateral peacekeeping operations in eastern and western Africa with specific references to their impact on regional security in the 21st century.