Conflict Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect in Africa

This editorial introduces a special issue of the African Security Review focused on the relationship between conflict prevention and the 'responsibility to protect' (R2P) in Africa. It outlines the roles of the United Nations and the African Union in establishing frameworks for preventive diplomacy and intervention to protect civilians from war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

• The United Nations' approach to conflict prevention is rooted in Article 33 of the 1945 UN Charter and the 1992 'An agenda for peace', which advocates for proactive peacemaking and humanitarian intervention through four activities: preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peacekeeping, and post-conflict peacebuilding.
• The African Union's Constitutive Act of 2000 provides the organization with the right to intervene and establishes a responsibility to protect individuals from genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, while also committing to conflict prevention.
• While new legal instruments and mechanisms have been created to address civilian vulnerability and conflict in Africa, substantial progress is hindered by a lack of political will and insufficient resources for implementation.

APA

Mpyisi, K., & Murithi, T. (2007). Conflict Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect in Africa. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/01-sep-2007-conflict-prevention-and-the-responsibility-to-protect-in-africa-kenneth-mpyisi-and-tim-murithi

Chicago

Mpyisi, Kenneth, and Tim Murithi. Conflict Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect in Africa. Institute for Security Studies, 2007. https://issafrica.org/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/01-sep-2007-conflict-prevention-and-the-responsibility-to-protect-in-africa-kenneth-mpyisi-and-tim-murithi.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mpyisi |first1=Kenneth |last2=Murithi |first2=Tim |title=Conflict Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect in Africa |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=1 September 2007 |url=https://issafrica.org/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/01-sep-2007-conflict-prevention-and-the-responsibility-to-protect-in-africa-kenneth-mpyisi-and-tim-murithi |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mpyisi2007conflict, author = {Mpyisi, Kenneth and Murithi, Tim}, title = {{Conflict Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect in Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2007}, month = sep, url = {https://issafrica.org/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/01-sep-2007-conflict-prevention-and-the-responsibility-to-protect-in-africa-kenneth-mpyisi-and-tim-murithi}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }