Conflict Prevention: What’s in it for the AU?

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies assesses the African Union's (AU) role in conflict prevention, distinguishing between operational and structural approaches. It argues that while the AU has established various frameworks and roadmaps, it remains overly reactive and lacks the practical steps, coordination, and predictable funding necessary to effectively implement long-term structural prevention.

• The African Union distinguishes between operational prevention, which addresses immediate causes of conflict during escalation, and structural prevention, which focuses on long-term resilience and root causes such as governance, justice systems, and economic development.
• Despite the existence of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and various roadmaps, the AU's conflict prevention efforts remain primarily reactive and short-term, with a lack of practical implementation for structural prevention.
• The AU's Structural Conflict Prevention Framework and the use of country structural vulnerability assessments (CSVAs) have seen limited success because member states are reluctant to use them due to concerns over interference in internal affairs.
• There is a need for improved internal coordination within the African Union Commission (AUC), specifically between the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) and the Peace and Security Department (PSD), to resolve confusion regarding roles and responsibilities.
• The AU faces a significant funding imbalance, where the international community prioritizes reactive peace support operations over prevention, leaving the AU dependent on unpredictable external donors.
• The author suggests that strengthening Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) and utilizing the African Governance Architecture (AGA) could provide critical entry points for integrating structural prevention with mediation and development.

APA

de Carvalho, G. (2017). Conflict Prevention: What’s in it for the AU? Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief103-2.pdf

Chicago

de Carvalho, Gustavo. Conflict Prevention: What’s in it for the AU? Institute for Security Studies, 2017. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief103-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=de Carvalho |first1=Gustavo |title=Conflict Prevention: What’s in it for the AU? |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2017 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief103-2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{decarvalho2017conflict, author = {de Carvalho, Gustavo}, title = {{Conflict Prevention: What’s in it for the AU?}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2017}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief103-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }