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Austria in the UN Security Council African experience, issues and prospects
The document details a seminar where Austrian and South African representatives, alongside academics, discussed the challenges of peacekeeping in Africa, the legitimacy of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine, the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the necessity of UN Security Council reform. It highlights the different strategic positions of Austria as a facilitator and South Africa as a regional power, while analyzing the 'Prodi report' on UN-AU peacekeeping cooperation.
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Document type: Report
Salim Ahmed Salim: Son of Africa
The document details the career of Salim Ahmed Salim, a Tanzanian diplomat who played a central role in the decolonisation of Africa and the fight against apartheid. It examines his strategic work within the UN Special Committee on Decolonization, his efforts to secure material support for liberation movements, and his tenure as Secretary-General of the OAU (1989–2001). The text highlights his contributions to the institutional transformation of the OAU into the African Union, his advocacy for 'non-indifference' in the face of genocide and war crimes, and his work in conflict resolution in regions such as Darfur and the Great Lakes.
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Document type: Report
Bringing fairness to international justice
The document provides a comprehensive guide for African legal practitioners on the role of defence counsel within the International Criminal Court (ICC). It argues that the legitimacy of international criminal justice depends on the fairness of trials, which requires competent defence teams and 'equality of arms' between the prosecution and the defence. The text addresses common myths regarding the ICC's perceived bias against Africa, detailing the court's structural mechanisms for protecting the rights of the accused, such as the Office of Public Counsel for the Defence (OPCD) and the legal aid system. It concludes with recommendations for African lawyers, bar associations, and the African Union to increase professional engagement with the ICC to strengthen both international and national criminal justice systems.
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Document type: Guide
The South African army in its global and local contexts in the early 21st century
The author argues that the South African Army's current force design, based on a 'core force' approach and non-offensive posture from the late 1990s, is inadequate for the realities of 'war among the people'. The analysis highlights the rise of China's influence in Africa, the failure of multilateral institutions, and the necessity of shifting toward intelligence-led, psychological operations to avoid the failures seen in peacekeeping missions like Srebrenica. Locally, the army faces challenges from an ageing force structure, loss of key skills, and the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
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Document type: Research paper
Africa's Futures
Africa is experiencing rapid population growth and urbanisation, with a projected population of over 1.8 billion by 2035. While the continent shows a positive overall trend, growth is heterogeneous and often outpaced by population increases, leading to a projected rise in the number of people living in extreme poverty. The report highlights a 'demographic dividend' that remains delayed due to high fertility rates, and notes that while global democratic trends are declining, popular support for democracy in Africa remains strong despite fragile foundations. Security is shifting from large-scale interstate conflicts toward more complex, lower-fatality violence, including urban riots and terrorism. Economic growth is hindered by a lack of structural transformation and a significant infrastructure deficit, particularly in basic services like water and sanitation, which the report argues are more critical for poverty reduction than traditional trade infrastructure.
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Document type: Report
The International Criminal Court
The document serves as a teaching module on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the domestic prosecution of international crimes. It details the ICC's evolution, its four primary organs, and the complex jurisdictional triggers and admissibility requirements, specifically the principle of complementarity. It further analyzes the tension between the ICC's mandate and state immunities, particularly regarding the Rome Statute's Articles 27 and 98. Finally, it compares how South Africa, Botswana, and Malawi incorporate international crimes into their national laws, highlighting South Africa's more comprehensive implementing legislation compared to the limited Geneva Conventions Acts in Botswana and Malawi.
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Document type: Guide
Supporting sustainable livelihoods: A critical review of assistance in post-conflict situations
The document argues that post-conflict recovery requires a shift from short-term humanitarian relief to a sustainable livelihoods approach that addresses the root causes of conflict, such as poverty, powerlessness, and the loss of assets. It examines the 'deadly triad' of food insecurity, HIV/AIDS, and conflict, and provides frameworks for analyzing household vulnerability and the political economy of war. Case studies from Angola, Sudan, Mozambique, and Uganda illustrate the importance of integrating emergency relief with long-term developmental support, particularly for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the urban poor.
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Document type: Report
The Forum on China– Africa cooperation
The report analyzes the evolution of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) from its inception in 2000 through the 2006 Beijing summit. It argues that FOCAC provides a 'win-win' framework for South-South cooperation, contrasting China's pragmatic, non-interference approach with Western conditional aid. The document details China's economic model, its strategic need for African raw materials (particularly oil), and the specific financial commitments made to African infrastructure, health, and debt relief. It concludes that while China offers significant opportunities for growth, African nations must improve their own governance and strategic coordination to maximize these benefits.
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Document type: Report
From market for force to market for peace
The monograph examines the transition of private military and security companies (PMSCs) from combat-oriented 'markets for force' to support-oriented 'markets for peace' in Africa. It analyzes the legal ambiguities surrounding PMSC status under international humanitarian law, the challenges of accountability and transparency in hybrid missions in countries like Liberia and Sudan, and the tension between the pragmatic need for private capacity and the moral concerns regarding the privatization of state security functions. The authors propose a 'steering and rowing' framework to ensure that the UN and AU maintain strategic control while utilizing private firms for non-core technical and logistical support.
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Document type: Report
Guns in the Borderlands
The report argues that traditional state-led security policies in Kenya, which focus on coercive disarmament and supply-side regulation, are ineffective in 'borderlands' where government presence is limited. Instead, it highlights the success of community-based organizations (CBOs) and NGOs in reducing the demand for small arms and light weapons (SALW) by addressing root causes such as poverty, resource competition, and identity-based conflict. Through case studies in Nairobi, Marsabit, Isiolo, the Northeastern Province, Tana River, and the North Rift, the author demonstrates that integrating development, education, and customary law into security frameworks can shrink gun markets from the bottom up.
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Document type: Report
Monograph 98
This research paper examines disarmament as a critical pillar of peace-building in Africa, contrasting the successful model in Sierra Leone with the ongoing challenges in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It argues that disarmament must be integrated into broader political settlements and national recovery strategies, emphasizing the need for comprehensive planning, inclusive lead agencies, and the addressing of 'special groups' like child soldiers. The text highlights the shift from traditional peacekeeping to multifunctional peace support operations and the increasing role of regional bodies in managing African conflicts.
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Document type: Research paper
tortuousbibliog-56c8ea322e888047.pdf
The provided text is a detailed list of references, including academic books, reports from international organizations (UN, AU, ECOWAS), human rights briefings (Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch), and legal documents. The bibliography focuses on the geopolitical and security landscape of West Africa, specifically documenting the civil wars and peace processes in Liberia and Sierra Leone, the role of ECOMOG and UNMIL, and the application of international humanitarian law and transitional justice.
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Document type: Research paper
nema_lamu-gas-exploration_tors-3_2017.03.23-6067e85bfbbe7043.pdf
The provided text consists of the professional CVs and qualifications of a consultancy team proposed for the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of gas exploratory drilling in Blocks L4 and L13 in Lamu County, Kenya. It details the expertise of five specialists: an ESIA specialist, a socio-economist, a hydrologist, an environmental chemist, and a GIS specialist, listing their academic backgrounds, professional affiliations, and extensive project histories in the energy, mining, and infrastructure sectors across East Africa and beyond.
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Document type: Report
A Critical Analysis of Cultural Explanations for the Violence in Jonglei State, South Sudan
The paper argues that local violence in Jonglei State, South Sudan, is not primarily caused by secession, 'tribal' nature, inflated bridewealth, or Murle infertility. Instead, it attributes the insecurity to the militarisation of society during the civil war (1983-2005), the erosion of traditional conflict resolution mechanisms, and the government's failure to provide security and justice, which allows mass violence to occur with impunity.
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Document type: Research paper
Breaking the Conflict Trap
The report argues that civil war is 'development in reverse,' creating a 'conflict trap' where poverty and institutional failure increase the risk of war, and war further degrades development. It identifies three rings of adverse effects: internal civilian suffering, regional spillovers (such as arms races and disease), and global costs (including drug trafficking and terrorism). The authors find that civil war is increasingly concentrated in 'marginalized' low-income countries and those in the conflict trap. To combat this, the report proposes a policy package including improved aid timing, transparent natural resource governance, and coordinated military-development sequencing in postconflict decades.
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Document type: Report
Brothers Came Back with Weapons
The research finds that while Libyan arms significantly enhanced the military capacity of insurgents in Mali and the Sinai, the overall proliferation was less destabilizing and widespread than initially feared, abating after 2013 due to international interventions and increased domestic demand within Libya.
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Document type: Research paper
New Perspectives on China’s Relations with the World
The author critiques existing international relations literature for viewing China primarily as an object of Western socialisation, arguing instead that China is an active agent of socialisation. Using the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) as a case study, the paper demonstrates how China employs a 'colony narrative' and the framework of South-South cooperation to frame itself as a fellow developing country resisting Western hegemony. This discourse legitimises the 'security-development nexus'—the idea that economic development is the foundation of security—allowing Beijing to shift from a policy of non-interference to active engagement in African peace and security operations while maintaining a consistent diplomatic narrative.
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Document type: Research paper
Conflict trends: A global overview, 1946–2025
The report finds that 2025 was the third most violent year since 1989, with 245,000 battle-related deaths. It highlights a record high of 65 state-based conflicts and a concerning doubling of international conflicts to eight in 2025. While non-state conflicts decreased slightly, one-sided violence surged to 76,500 fatalities, primarily driven by massacres in Sudan.
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Document type: Research paper
Explaining External Support for Insurgent Groups
The research examines the determinants of external state support for rebel groups using a new dataset of 403 organizations. It argues that support is not merely a function of the civil war's general characteristics but depends on the specific attributes of the rebel group and the international relations of the target state. The findings indicate that moderately strong groups with transnational constituencies are most likely to receive aid, particularly when the target state is involved in an international rivalry or receives its own external support. Conversely, very strong or very weak groups, and those in democratic states, are less likely to be supported.
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Document type: Research paper
Fighting at Home, Fighting Abroad: How Civil Wars Lead to International Disputes
The research demonstrates that states experiencing civil wars are significantly more likely to be involved in militarized interstate disputes (MIDs). Using data from 1946 to 2001, the authors find that this 'civil peace' effect is comparable in magnitude to the 'democratic peace' effect. Analysis of over 400 MIDs reveals that the increased risk is driven by states attempting to influence the outcome of civil wars through direct intervention, externalization (such as cross-border counter-insurgency), and unintended spillovers, rather than by opportunistic attacks on weakened states or diversionary wars to consolidate domestic power.
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Document type: Research paper