Inconsistent funding partners’ uncoordinated missions and lagging member states hinder the AU’s counter-terrorism measures

The African Union (AU) has established several legal frameworks to combat terrorism, including the 1999 Algiers Convention and the 2004 Protocol, but implementation is stalled by low ratification rates among member states. Key countries facing terrorism, such as Nigeria and Somalia, have not ratified the 2004 Protocol. The AU's efforts are further undermined by a lack of monitoring systems, severe funding shortages—with member states contributing only 40% of the 2016 budget—and a tendency for international powers like the US and France to bypass the AU in favor of direct bilateral operations with individual states.

• The African Union has struggled to secure member state ratification for its primary counter-terrorism legal frameworks. Only 41 member states have ratified the Algiers Convention, and the 2004 Protocol took a decade to enter into force, with only 17 countries having ratified it to date. Notably, states with urgent terrorism needs, including Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Mauritania, and Chad, have not ratified the 2004 Protocol.
• The AU's counter-terrorism capacity is severely limited by financial instability and a lack of resources. In 2016, member state contributions covered only 40% of the AU's $416 million budget, and the vast majority of those funds (96%) were used for operational costs rather than programmes, which received only $5.3 million.
• International interventions by the United States, France, and the United Nations often eclipse AU efforts because these powers prefer working directly with individual member states rather than collaborating with the AU. Examples include the US Pan Sahel Initiative (PSI) and France's Operation Serval and Operation Barkhane.
• The AU has developed tools to assist member states in strengthening criminal justice systems, such as the African Model Anti-Terrorism Law disseminated since 2011, but adoption has been minimal, with only Ghana, Mauritius, and Burkina Faso requesting assistance for national integration.

APA

Dev, G. (2017). Inconsistent funding partners’ uncoordinated missions and lagging member states hinder the AU’s counter-terrorism measures. Good Governance Africa. https://gga.org/falling-behind-on-safety/

Chicago

Dev, GGA. Inconsistent funding partners’ uncoordinated missions and lagging member states hinder the AU’s counter-terrorism measures. Good Governance Africa, 2017. https://gga.org/falling-behind-on-safety/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dev |first1=GGA |title=Inconsistent funding partners’ uncoordinated missions and lagging member states hinder the AU’s counter-terrorism measures |publisher=Good Governance Africa |date=5 January 2017 |url=https://gga.org/falling-behind-on-safety/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dev2017inconsistent, author = {Dev, GGA}, title = {{Inconsistent funding partners’ uncoordinated missions and lagging member states hinder the AU’s counter-terrorism measures}}, institution = {Good Governance Africa}, year = {2017}, month = jan, url = {https://gga.org/falling-behind-on-safety/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }