Keeping the Peace: Intervention and Security Challenges in Africa

The advent of looking at the so-called ‘High politics’ concerns in international relations gives the impression that such matters really have a lot to deal with the pattern of relationships different political actors forge out. Security is one interesting area not just for itself. Especially when it is related to the issue of statehood formation, it gives the impression that whenever we think about the state, it is the authority there to ensure the welfare of its citizens. In its absence definitely nothing of security is possible to be achieved. The process of state formation seemingly varies from continents to continents. In some experiences, states are historically built up, not imposed by external forces or distortedly adopted. The states rather grew out of the political context as ‘natural’ phenomena’. Unfortunately, Africa is the very unlucky continent in that sense. Colonial legacies created and even perpetuated artificial states. The continent and its citizens had to pay for the consequences of the historic mistake. Colonially bifurcated ethno-cultural and linguistic people were forced to disperse in two or more states. While at the same time destroying the evolutionary pattern of African statehood and changing it to fit the interests of their creators, the post-colonial period depicted the failure of euro-centric models that created fragile and often hostile inter-state relations with still potentials ‘to time bomb’ further intra-state conflicts. Institutional arrangements like the OAU and even the AU could have done much either to prevent such security traumas from happening. But so far both attempts have doomed to failure to create a fertile condition to at least to resolve ‘one’s own problem one’s own way’. It was in such a condition that states like Somalia had to face, first the consequences of imposed statehood formation, second, ‘illegitimate’ post-colonial regimes eased the steps towards forward complete failure. Since the 1990s, Somalia has been an inter-play of violence, disorder, insecurity and anarchy. While the very loose cultural attachments toward clan identities have been the very fundamental cause for ‘national identity’ challenges in Somalia. This coupled with extremism of all forms and the destructive roles of a number of actors (within and outside the Horn) makes the country exceptionally ‘the most dangerous place in the world’. While leaving millions of its people under complete destitution and human suffering and threatening its less fragile neighbours in the Horn of Africa, Somalia has still been the example where security seems to be a dire challenge, something ‘unachievable’. Despite the ongoing but weak efforts by the African Union’s peace-keeping intervention, the international community and especially the UN has become a ‘toothless dog’ to help improve the situation. The security situation is deteriorating on day-to-day basis leaving the peace-keepers in serious danger. It seems less likely neither the latter could stay long nor the UN would send a peace-keeping mission. Insecurity prevails. With very weak government in the Capital city, Somalia’s extreme elements may take over political power if they fail to reconstitute the state and its institutions. It is also likely that other antagonistic actors may not simply welcome this making Somalia still interesting case to look into.