The topic of this memorandum is the African Union as a security player. The African Union consists of all the African states and as such, it possesses great influence on the African continent. In this memorandum I would like to touch upon some topics that I find interesting, even though they are not very often discussed. First of all, I would like to explore the military interventions of the African Union, especially the 2007 intervention to Somalia. Second, I would like to share some thoughts on another aspect of the African Union: the policy to stop the AIDS pandemic in Africa, as I believe it is an important topic for the future of African Union and all the African countries.
African Union and Somalia
In 2007, the UN Security Council approved a mission of the African Union to Somalia, to help Somalia’s government fight the forces of the jihadist group Al-Shabaab. In the article Managing Donor Perceptions: Contextualizing Uganda’s 2007 Intervention in Somalia (Jonathan Fisher, 2012), it is said that Uganda’s motivation to intervene in Somalia was mainly the “desire to manage donor perceptions”. [1] This might be true and it is supported by a number of facts, including the fact that Uganda was the first AU country to send troops to Somalia in 2007. Most of the foreign soldiers currently present in Somalia are also from Uganda, so it is clear that the AMISOM is of high importance to Uganda.
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) had a mandate for 6 months at first, but it has been prolonged since then and it is still an active mission of the AU. After all, terrorists are not really bound by the common rules or borders and could easily relocate to Uganda and become primary Ugandan problem. Being a part of the AMISOM is also quite lucrative as it comes with financial support from the United States and European Union (who obviously want to have a say in the future of Somalia). I also believe that by being highly proactive, Uganda is trying to establish itself as an ally to the Western countries in the anti-terrorist fight. Even though the article emphasizes on the fact that Uganda wants to be perceived as a donor state in this context, I wouldn’t completely dismiss the idea originally proclaimed by the Ugandan government that this military operation has nothing to do with the United States. Having an unstable neighboring state is not very desirable as criminals have their ways of crossing borders, so in my opinion Uganda’s primarily motivation to engage in the AMISOM might have actually been the desire to keep terrorism and crime from spreading onto its own territory. Then again, everything is complex in international relations, so wanting to be perceived as donor state and establishing trust with the United States probably played a role too.
African Union and AIDS
While the first topic I occupied myself with is a very straight-forward security issue, this next one is a much more social-oriented one. African Union doesn’t only engage itself in military missions, it also has other agendas. One of the most important agendas is, in my opinion, the plan to end AIDS and other diseases (mainly TB and malaria) on the African continent. I sincerely believe that stopping the spreading of AIDS is not something that any African country can manage on its own, but I believe that the African Union (as it contains all the African countries) does have the power to tackle and solve this issue once and for all.[2] The African Union has recently adopted a policy that promises the end of AIDS, TB and malaria by 2030. [3] I believe this is a step in the right direction, as Africa as a region does need further development in many aspects, but increasing the life expectancy and quality of affordable health care should definitely be among the top priority issues.
Summary
The issues explored in this memo were Uganda’s motivation to engage in the AU’s intervention to Somalia. I dare to concur with the article provided in the readings and argue that the biggest motivation was Uganda’s desire to prevent criminal spill-over from Somalia onto its own territory. Second issue I mentioned is the African Union’s steps against the AIDS pandemic in Africa. I tend to the idea of a self-sufficient Africa and in this aspect I definitely feel very optimistic about the AU’s plan. All in all, African Union might have its flaws (as we discussed in the lecture), but I do believe it is necessary for brighter future of African continent.
[1] Fisher, Jonathan, „Managing Donor Perceptions: Contextualizing Uganda’s 2007 Intervention in Somalia“, African Security 114 (2012): 422.
[2] I do seem to keep coming back to the idea of development aid and international organisations’ efforts to help Africa, which makes me think maybe I should write my diploma thesis on it. I apologize for pushing these social issues into my memos all the time, I will try to get a handle on it.
[3] „African Heads of State and Government define the future direction for AIDS, TB and malaria responses“, African Union, https://www.au.int/en/pressreleases/31184/african-heads-state-and-government-define-future-direction-aids-tb-and-malaria (downloaded 27. 4. 2017).
African Union and Somalia
In 2007, the UN Security Council approved a mission of the African Union to Somalia, to help Somalia’s government fight the forces of the jihadist group Al-Shabaab. In the article Managing Donor Perceptions: Contextualizing Uganda’s 2007 Intervention in Somalia (Jonathan Fisher, 2012), it is said that Uganda’s motivation to intervene in Somalia was mainly the “desire to manage donor perceptions”. [1] This might be true and it is supported by a number of facts, including the fact that Uganda was the first AU country to send troops to Somalia in 2007. Most of the foreign soldiers currently present in Somalia are also from Uganda, so it is clear that the AMISOM is of high importance to Uganda.
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) had a mandate for 6 months at first, but it has been prolonged since then and it is still an active mission of the AU. After all, terrorists are not really bound by the common rules or borders and could easily relocate to Uganda and become primary Ugandan problem. Being a part of the AMISOM is also quite lucrative as it comes with financial support from the United States and European Union (who obviously want to have a say in the future of Somalia). I also believe that by being highly proactive, Uganda is trying to establish itself as an ally to the Western countries in the anti-terrorist fight. Even though the article emphasizes on the fact that Uganda wants to be perceived as a donor state in this context, I wouldn’t completely dismiss the idea originally proclaimed by the Ugandan government that this military operation has nothing to do with the United States. Having an unstable neighboring state is not very desirable as criminals have their ways of crossing borders, so in my opinion Uganda’s primarily motivation to engage in the AMISOM might have actually been the desire to keep terrorism and crime from spreading onto its own territory. Then again, everything is complex in international relations, so wanting to be perceived as donor state and establishing trust with the United States probably played a role too.
African Union and AIDS
While the first topic I occupied myself with is a very straight-forward security issue, this next one is a much more social-oriented one. African Union doesn’t only engage itself in military missions, it also has other agendas. One of the most important agendas is, in my opinion, the plan to end AIDS and other diseases (mainly TB and malaria) on the African continent. I sincerely believe that stopping the spreading of AIDS is not something that any African country can manage on its own, but I believe that the African Union (as it contains all the African countries) does have the power to tackle and solve this issue once and for all.[2] The African Union has recently adopted a policy that promises the end of AIDS, TB and malaria by 2030. [3] I believe this is a step in the right direction, as Africa as a region does need further development in many aspects, but increasing the life expectancy and quality of affordable health care should definitely be among the top priority issues.
Summary
The issues explored in this memo were Uganda’s motivation to engage in the AU’s intervention to Somalia. I dare to concur with the article provided in the readings and argue that the biggest motivation was Uganda’s desire to prevent criminal spill-over from Somalia onto its own territory. Second issue I mentioned is the African Union’s steps against the AIDS pandemic in Africa. I tend to the idea of a self-sufficient Africa and in this aspect I definitely feel very optimistic about the AU’s plan. All in all, African Union might have its flaws (as we discussed in the lecture), but I do believe it is necessary for brighter future of African continent.
[1] Fisher, Jonathan, „Managing Donor Perceptions: Contextualizing Uganda’s 2007 Intervention in Somalia“, African Security 114 (2012): 422.
[2] I do seem to keep coming back to the idea of development aid and international organisations’ efforts to help Africa, which makes me think maybe I should write my diploma thesis on it. I apologize for pushing these social issues into my memos all the time, I will try to get a handle on it.
[3] „African Heads of State and Government define the future direction for AIDS, TB and malaria responses“, African Union, https://www.au.int/en/pressreleases/31184/african-heads-state-and-government-define-future-direction-aids-tb-and-malaria (downloaded 27. 4. 2017).
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