The Implementation of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) Norms by the African Standby Force in Sub-Saharan Africa
Abstract
In 2005, the United Nations adopted the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) to allow international intervention to protect civilians against genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. This concept constituted hope for the African continent, which has the biggest number of the armed conflicts compared to other continents. Article 4(h) of the AU Constitutive Act mandates the African Union to forcefully intervene to stop grave breaches of international law. The establishment of the African Standby Force (ASF) in 2003 equips the African continent to implement the R2P concept. The African Union had success in the DRC, but had mitigated successes in Darfur and Somalia. However, the operationalization of the ASF has been slow due to lack of required financial and logistical capabilities. As a result, the AU was unable to activate the ASF to intervene in the destructive war in Mali. Consequently, some African states created the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Conflicts (ACIRC) as a stopgap while the ASF continues to being built. ACIRC has the same mission as the ASF, but allows states to finance and equip this force themselves. The ACIRC constitutes a duplication of efforts, but would benefit operationalization of ASF in implementation of R2P.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 09, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1038733
Entities
People
- Augustin Hodali
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College