Beyond Prospects: Strengthening the Panel of the Wise In the AU Peace and Security Architecture

The regional peace and security architecture of Africa has crystallised with the adoption of the Protocol relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (Salim, 2002; Jegede, 2009; Sturman and Hayatou, 2010). However, the context of grave threats to peace, security and stability in which it has emerged, continues to date, in spite of the abundant resources that can make a difference. Different evidence of crisis involving, for instance, states such as Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda and Rwanda (ICG, 2010), Somalia (Lindley, 2009) and Nigeria (Ojukwu, 2011) is a strong reason for concern. Besides, with 7 African states 'red-flagged' as struggling with state failure, while another 26 are considered to be in different state of fragility, no other region of the world rivals the African continent in its precarious peace and security situation (Hewitt, Wilkenfeld and Gurr, 2012). Yet, as the Solemn Declaration on a Common African Defence and Security Policy shows, in addition to conflicts, there are other threats to peace and security challenges in Africa (CADSP, 2004). Articles 8(ii) and 9 of the CADSP include issues of terrorism, democratisation and attendant crisis as part of the security challenges facing Africa. It is therefore not surprising that in their reflections on the general trend of peace and security challenges in Africa, commentators have at sometimes portrayed the continent in a variety of imagery. To Kaplan (1994, pp.44-76)), Africa is the 'coming anarchy'. In the opinion of Buzan and Waever (2003, p.219), it is the 'pessimist's paradise'. Also, as once earlier reported by the Economist (2000) and subsequently by the Time (2008) magazines respectively, it is the 'hopeless', and 'hunted' continent.