Confronting complex emergencies in Africa: Imperatives of a search for a new doctrine of humanitarian security interventions

The author contends that current humanitarian military interventions in Africa are inadequate because they rely on Cold War-era peacekeeping doctrines that prioritize humanitarian assistance over the restoration of security. This failure, combined with the perceived lethargy of UN interventions, has led African institutions to deploy forces that often lack sufficient mandates and resources. The paper proposes a new doctrine of 'humanitarian security intervention' with a higher remit for the use of force to better meet the needs of civilian protection and security restoration.

• Current 'robust' multidimensional peace operations in Africa have failed to materially improve security situations or protect civilians because they attempt to adapt Cold War peacekeeping doctrines to modern realities, focusing on humanitarian aid rather than security restoration.
• African institutions have been driven by moral imperatives to deploy intervention forces due to the slow nature of UN responses, though these deployments are often hampered by weak mandates and a heavy reliance on external support.
• There is a critical need for a new 'humanitarian security intervention' doctrine that allows for a higher remit in the use of force specifically to restore and maintain security and protect civilians.

APA

Aboagye, F. B. (n.d.). Confronting complex emergencies in Africa: Imperatives of a search for a new doctrine of humanitarian security interventions. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/confronting-complex-emergencies-in-africa-imperatives-of-a-search-for-a-new-doctrine-of-humanitarian-security-interventions

Chicago

Aboagye, Festus B. Confronting complex emergencies in Africa: Imperatives of a search for a new doctrine of humanitarian security interventions. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/confronting-complex-emergencies-in-africa-imperatives-of-a-search-for-a-new-doctrine-of-humanitarian-security-interventions.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aboagye |first1=Festus B |title=Confronting complex emergencies in Africa: Imperatives of a search for a new doctrine of humanitarian security interventions |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/papers/confronting-complex-emergencies-in-africa-imperatives-of-a-search-for-a-new-doctrine-of-humanitarian-security-interventions |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aboagyendconfronting, author = {Aboagye, Festus B}, title = {{Confronting complex emergencies in Africa: Imperatives of a search for a new doctrine of humanitarian security interventions}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/papers/confronting-complex-emergencies-in-africa-imperatives-of-a-search-for-a-new-doctrine-of-humanitarian-security-interventions}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }