Boundaries of Peace Operations: The African Dimension

The document examines the gap between traditional UN peacekeeping and the more robust 'peace enforcement' operations conducted by African coalitions. It argues that while NATO and Russia have developed doctrines for complex environments, African peace operations lack a realistic, practice-informed intervention doctrine, often remaining constrained by Western preferences for 'UN-type' training and a legacy of conflicting Cold War military doctrines.

• There is a significant discrepancy between the capabilities of the United Nations and African coalitions; the UN is largely limited to Chapter VI peacekeeping, whereas African coalitions have conducted sustained operations involving "heavy combat engagements" and "peace enforcement".
• African multilateral interventions lack a realistic intervention doctrine informed by practice, as the mainstream debate—largely shaped by Western powers—continues to emphasize "UN-type" peacekeeping training rather than the principles and limits of regional coalition operations.
• The development of a unified military doctrine in Africa is hindered by a colonial and Cold War legacy where militaries were trained under divergent French, British, Russian, or Chinese doctrines.
• Comparative analysis suggests that the challenges faced by the Russian Federation in its 'backyard' peacekeeping in the former USSR are similar to the experiences of Nigeria and ECOWAS in West Africa.

APA

Malan, M. (n.d.). Boundaries of Peace Operations: The African Dimension. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-44-boundaries-of-peace-operations-the-african-dimension-edited-by-mark-malan

Chicago

Malan, Mark. Boundaries of Peace Operations: The African Dimension. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-44-boundaries-of-peace-operations-the-african-dimension-edited-by-mark-malan.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Malan |first1=Mark |title=Boundaries of Peace Operations: The African Dimension |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-44-boundaries-of-peace-operations-the-african-dimension-edited-by-mark-malan |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{malanndboundaries, author = {Malan, Mark}, title = {{Boundaries of Peace Operations: The African Dimension}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-44-boundaries-of-peace-operations-the-african-dimension-edited-by-mark-malan}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }