| dc.description.abstract | There have been numerous attempts to bring peace to Sonialia by the international community over the past 20 years. However, the international community efforts led by the United States and the United Nations in early 1990s did not succeed to bring stability in the county. African Union did not play direct significant role in those early attempts to restore peace and stability in Somalia. Nevertheless, African Union took the leadership in the stabilisation of Somalia by the deployment of AMISOM mission to Somalia in 2007. The project study is about the role of International Community in Stabilising Somalia; particularly the' work of AMISOM peacekeeping mission. The objective of the study is to understand the role of the African Union in stabilisation of the African Conflict with the particular emphasis to the AMSIOM peacekeeping contribution to the peace and stability in the country.
The study provides theories and concepts that have laid foundations and understandings to the stabilisation operations. It also looks into the into the stabilisation measures that have been carried out in the world with special emphasis in the Africa Continent. The study also provides understanding of the developments behind the AMISOM peacekeeping mission in Somalia with critical analysis to the mission's challenges and achievements by looking the mission's mandates, objectives and activities that AMISOM carried out. The study finds that, stabilisation is a process by which underlying tensions that might lead to resurgence in violence and a break down in law and order are managed and reduced, while efforts are made to support preconditions for successful longer term development which involves coordinated presence of military, police and civilian personnel responsible for a wider range of tasks ranging from security, governance, rule of law, political and economic development.
Stabilisation has emerged as one of the most critically important aspects of international involvement in conflict and post conflict situations in Africa. The achievements that the study attributed to AMISOM is that it has helped in improving the security situation in Somalia and in the protection of the government officials and infrastructures. However, AMISOM mission has not been without challenges which need to be addressed in order to meet its mandates successfully as well as provide lessons for future peacekeeping missions by the African Union. To deploy a large peacekeeping operation African Union have always required extensive western support in terms of funding and logistics and continues today with the AMISOM in Somalia. Without Western political backing, funding and logistical support the deployment of African peacekeeping operations will remain hampered. The main policy recommendations of the study include AU institutional capacity needs to improve so that future Peacekeeping operations undertaken by the Union improves, the study also finds that military alone is inadequate and sometimes counterproductive to stabilise the country and it should not be the primary goal. Therefore there is need to enhance AMISOM participation in national reconciliation, in the provision of basic services and building effective national institutions. | |
