Counter-Insurgency Operations of the African Union and Mitigation of Humanitarian Crisis in Somalia

Abstract

The protracted armed conflict in Somalia has engendered an unprecedented humanitarian crisis; one that makes it a leading storehouse of the worst humanitarian conditions in the world. The intervention of the African Union (AU) through its third Peace Support Operation- the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM)- was aimed at supporting the Transitional Federal Institutions in the stabilisation of the country, advancing dialogue and reconciliation as well as facilitating the provision of humanitarian support. The achievement of the humanitarian component of the mission’s mandate is largely contingent on the first two mandates. Essentially, this study interrogated the interface between the implementation of the humanitarian component of AMISOM mandate and the control of the worsening conditions of Somali internally displaced persons and refugees. Anchoring analysis within the classical approach to national security, the study found that the restoration of relative stability in the polity has not widened access to economic and humanitarian assistance in the terror-laden state of Somalia. Thus, greater commitment of major stakeholders, especially the United Nations (UN), the United States as well as the AU is required in the transmutation of AMISOM and Somalia National Armed Forces into a force that is entirely indigenous to the people of Somalia. This will serve as an elixir to the ever-constricting humanitarian corridor that has exacerbated the conditions of the victims of forced migration in Somalia.

Transhumant Pastoral Economy and Human Security in Nigeria: Whither Civil Society Organisations?

“…In the post-Cold War era, however, the concept of security has become much more multifaceted and complex (Buzan, 2008; Buzan and Waever, 2003; Nnoli, 2006; Nwangwu and Ononogbu, 2014; Stone, 2009; Wolfers, 1952). Thus, the RSCT is a counterpoise to the overwhelming influence and dominance of the orthodox state-centric conceptualisation of security (Ononogbu and Nwangwu, 2018). It surveys the debate between the traditional and dynamic approaches to security studies with emphasis on people-centred security also known as human security (Ugwueze, 2017).…”

Femininity is not inferiority: women-led civil society organizations and “countering violent extremism” in Nigeria

“…Specifically, the intensity of the Boko Haram insurgency and other violent extremist behavior in Nigeria has not whittled down the androcentric focus of the country's responsive "counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency" approach. This is mainly connected to the stereotypical notion in most African states that the involvement of women in security issues is not only a manifestation of an alien culture but sometimes quite offensive to men (Ibanga 2015a;Ononogbu and Nwangwu 2018). Although not necessarily endorsing a gynocentric approach to national security, incremental increases in the participation of women in politics, education, employment and "countering violent extremism" activities is potentially the easiest pathway to peace and security, at least in the short-term while long-term solutions are being developed.…”