Looking ‘Beyond’ and ‘Below’ the State: Understanding the Role of Regional Initiatives in Complex Peace Support Operations

Abstract

In the wake of complex humanitarian emergencies engendered by modern conflicts, the role of regional organisations in preventing and resolving regional conflicts has become very important. Although the responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, preventing and removing threats to peace, and suppressing of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace is the prerogative of the United Nations, Chapter VIII of the Charter acknowledges the scope for regional organisations to add value in the settlement of disputes. This article considers the phenomenon of complex peace support operations using the extant African Unionled Regional Cooperation Initiative against the Lord’s Resistance Army (RCI-LRA). Finally, the article discusses the future role of artificial intelligence in addressing protracted armed insurgency in Africa.