Policing in Peace Operations in Africa

This synthesis report by the Training for Peace (TfP) research network examines the roles, challenges, and differences between African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) policing in peace support operations (PSOs) in Africa. Based on research from missions in Somalia, Darfur, and Mali, the report analyzes the functions of individual police officers (IPOs) and formed police units (FPUs), highlighting the need for context-specific training and guidelines for stabilization environments.

• The African Union (AU) typically deploys policing components into more unstable environments compared to the United Nations (UN), which generally operates in post-conflict situations. This difference means AU missions often focus on creating stability and defeating insurgencies to protect governments, whereas UN missions focus on building new post-conflict police forces.
• Police components in peace operations are divided into two primary roles: Individual Police Officers (IPOs), who focus on capacity building, mentoring, and reforming local law enforcement, and Formed Police Units (FPUs), who provide security, VIP protection, and public order management.
• Common challenges across missions in Somalia, Darfur, and Mali include a lack of peace agreements to maintain, inadequate pre-deployment training for personnel, and funding shortages. Specifically, in UNAMID, 70% of IPOs had not received pre-deployment training.
• Gender representation in African peace operations remains low, with women in uniform averaging only 3%. While some missions have higher police ratios—such as AMISOM where 24% of IPOs are women—structural barriers and societal norms continue to limit the recruitment and deployment of women in operational roles.
• The report recommends that the AU develop its own specific guidelines, policies, and training manuals for stabilization contexts, rather than relying on generic UN courses, to better prepare officers for high-risk environments and asymmetric threats.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Policing in Peace Operations in Africa. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/2016-05-26-TfP-Synthesis-Report.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Policing in Peace Operations in Africa. n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/2016-05-26-TfP-Synthesis-Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Policing in Peace Operations in Africa |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/2016-05-26-TfP-Synthesis-Report.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndpolicing, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Policing in Peace Operations in Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/2016-05-26-TfP-Synthesis-Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }