THE OAU AND AFRICAN SUBREGIONAL ORGANISATIONS – A closer look at the ‘peace pyramid’

This 1999 research paper examines the 'peace pyramid' model of conflict management in Africa, which positions the UN at the top, subregional organisations at the base, and the OAU as the intermediary. The author argues that while subregional bodies like ECOWAS and SADC are often more motivated to intervene in local conflicts, they lack institutionalised mechanisms and are built upon weak states. The paper concludes that sustainable security requires a focus on state-building, good governance, and the creation of permanent, impartial bureaucratic structures within subregional organisations rather than relying on ad hoc military responses.

• The 'peace pyramid' is a conceptual framework for conflict management in Africa where the United Nations sits at the apex as the supreme global organ, subregional organisations form the base, and the OAU serves as the critical linkage between the two.
• African subregional organisations, including larger entities like SADC and ECOWAS, generally lack institutionalised mechanisms for crisis prevention and management, leading to ad hoc military involvement in conflict resolution.
• There is a trend toward using subregional organisations as peace enforcers because the UN lacks the institutional capacity to conduct military enforcement measures under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, leading to a division where regional bodies employ force and the UN enters later as an observer or peacekeeper.
• The author argues that efforts to refine relationships between the OAU and subregional organisations are likely to be fruitless unless state-building and good governance are prioritised, as the 'hollow structures' of these organisations are built upon weak states.
• The OAU has prioritised five main subregional organisations for each area of Africa: IGAD in the East, ECOWAS in the West, UMA in the North, SADC in the South, and ECCAS in the Central African subregion.
• To improve credibility and effectiveness, the author suggests that subregional organisations should establish permanent secretariats to reduce reliance on personality-based presidential leadership and create formal bureaucratic channels for communication with the UN and OAU.

APA

Malan, M. (1999). THE OAU AND AFRICAN SUBREGIONAL ORGANISATIONS – A closer look at the ‘peace pyramid’. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/paper36.pdf

Chicago

Malan, Mark. THE OAU AND AFRICAN SUBREGIONAL ORGANISATIONS – A closer look at the ‘peace pyramid’. Institute for Security Studies, 1999. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/paper36.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Malan |first1=Mark |title=THE OAU AND AFRICAN SUBREGIONAL ORGANISATIONS – A closer look at the ‘peace pyramid’ |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=January 1999 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/paper36.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{malan1999oau, author = {Malan, Mark}, title = {{THE OAU AND AFRICAN SUBREGIONAL ORGANISATIONS – A closer look at the ‘peace pyramid’}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {1999}, month = jan, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/paper36.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }