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This guide provides an overview of the International Criminal Court (ICC), detailing its legal foundations under the Rome Statute, its jurisdictional limits, its institutional structure, and its early investigations in Africa and elsewhere.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes projects aimed at preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) in Central, East, and West Africa. It identifies critical gaps in funding duration, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) capacity, and the potential for P/CVE labeling to stigmatize target communities, while suggesting a shift toward longer-term funding and greater African state ownership.

This report, prepared by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for a special session in Tripoli, provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges to peace and security in Africa. It details the institutional framework of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), the economic and human costs of conflict, and the status of various regional crises, including those in Somalia, Sudan, and the Great Lakes region. The document emphasizes the need for African ownership of peace efforts, the importance of structural conflict prevention, and the strengthening of partnerships with international bodies like the UN and EU.

This report documents a seminar held on 18 March 2009 by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria, focusing on the African Union's (AU) policy regarding unconstitutional changes of government (UCG) in Africa. The seminar, featuring presenters Issaka K. Souaré and Francis Ikome, evaluated the effectiveness of the Lomé Declaration and the AU's Constitutive Act in deterring military coups and other unconstitutional power shifts, while proposing reforms to create a 'New African Governance Architecture' (NAGA).

This report examines the political opportunities and challenges facing President Felix Tshisekedi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during his first year in office. It highlights the tension between Tshisekedi and former President Joseph Kabila, whose FCC coalition maintains a dominant majority in Parliament. The author argues that for Tshisekedi to succeed and secure a second term in 2023, he must shift the political balance, reform the CENI and Constitutional Court, and address dire socio-economic needs. The report also discusses the necessity of a regional approach to peace in the eastern DRC involving Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi, and suggests that the international community can support transformational change by promoting transparency in the mining sector via IMF engagement.

This report chapter, authored by Martin Rupiya for the Institute for Security Studies, examines the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on the militaries of Southern African nations. Based on empirical evidence from Botswana, Swaziland, Zambia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, the text identifies common trends in disease transmission, the failure of states to implement timely policies, and the specific challenges faced by defence forces regarding recruitment, operational effectiveness, and the social dynamics of testing.

This report by Robert Mattes of the University of Cape Town uses Afrobarometer survey data from 18 African countries to compare experiences of crime and policing in South Africa with other nations on the continent. The analysis finds that while South Africa has high levels of insecurity and crime exposure, it is not exceptional in the African context. Furthermore, despite having superior physical and human capital, the South African Police Service (SAPS) often lags behind other African police forces in terms of public trust, legitimacy, and community relations.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the perceptions of South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia and Uganda regarding the conflict in their home country and the IGAD-led peace process. Based on interviews conducted in July 2018, the document highlights a significant gap in communication between peace negotiators and refugee populations, widespread frustration with political leadership, and deep divisions over the future administrative structure of South Sudan.

This concluding chapter of 'Invisible Stakeholders' argues that children and youth in Africa are not merely victims of conflict but active agents of change and transformation. The author contends that viewing them solely as victims obscures the dynamics of conflict and ignores how young people make choices that impact the trajectories of war. The text examines the socio-economic and political drivers of youth mobilization, the failure of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) processes, and the influence of global economic structures on African stability.

A letter dated 4 October 2013 from 130 African civil society and international organisations urging African foreign ministers to support the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Rome Statute during an African Union (AU) extraordinary summit on 11 and 12 October 2013.

This monograph introduces the theory and practice of criminal justice in Africa, examining how colonial legacies, political instability, and the interests of ruling elites shape legal systems. It explores the tension between retributive Western-centric models and indigenous restorative justice, while providing specific case studies on the challenges of bail and human rights in Nigeria, the dual legal system in Uganda, and the political use of the judiciary in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies provides a scoping study on peace and security in East Africa, focusing on the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes regions. It analyzes conflict dynamics, state fragility, and the effectiveness of regional and national interventions, concluding that the region remains fragile despite some governance gains.

This report summarizes a 2004 workshop in Accra, Ghana, focused on identifying lessons from Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) experiences in Africa. It analyzes the evolution of UN-led DDR programmes, highlighting the shift from vague mandates to specific, targeted interventions. The document emphasizes that while disarmament and demobilization are often measured quantitatively, the qualitative aspect of reintegration remains the most challenging phase. It argues for a holistic approach that links DDR with national recovery, security sector reform, and human rights, while warning against the tendency of DDR to be exploited as a money-making venture by combatants and commanders.

This monograph examines the role of peacekeeping missions in the Burundi peace process, detailing the transition from the South African Protection Support Detachment (SAPSD) to the African Union Mission in Burundi (AMIB) and subsequently the United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB). It analyzes the diplomatic efforts led by Nelson Mandela and Jacob Zuma, the implementation of Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programs, the challenges of security sector reform, and the electoral processes that led to the 2005 elections and the eventual integration of the PALIPEHUTU-FNL.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the socio-economic challenges facing demobilised military personnel in South Africa, specifically those from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). It combines a survey of former combatants with comparative case studies from Uganda, Cambodia, Nicaragua, and El Salvador to argue that successful reintegration depends on long-term economic stability and marketable skills rather than short-term cash gratuities. The document highlights a pattern of unemployment and social instability among South African veterans and provides recommendations for a future 'rationalisation' process to avoid repeating past failures.

This monograph by Afua Twum-Danso examines the phenomenon of child soldiering in Africa, challenging the notion that it is a product of African culture. Instead, the author argues that the recruitment and deployment of children are driven by socio-economic instability, political agendas, and pragmatic military strategies. The report provides a comprehensive overview of recruitment methods, the roles children play in conflicts, and the long-term physical and psychological consequences of their participation, with a specific focus on the often-overlooked experiences of girl soldiers.

This research paper analyzes the South African Defence Review process (1996–1998) and the 1995 Defence White Paper, arguing that while the process was historically inclusive and democratic, the resulting force design relied too heavily on traditional Western concepts of 'primary function' (territorial sovereignty) at the expense of more frequent 'secondary functions' (internal stability and regional support).

This research paper by Rocky Williams critiques the application of Western civil-military relations theories to the African context, arguing that formal institutional mechanisms are often insufficient for ensuring civil control. The author proposes a more flexible 'collaborative-partnership' model that integrates both objective (formal/legal) and subjective (informal/relational) forms of control, drawing on evidence from Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries to demonstrate how political partnerships and shared value frameworks maintain stability.

This research paper by Lauren Hutton, published by the Institute for Security Studies in February 2015, interrogates the continued relevance of peacebuilding within external interventions in Africa. The author argues that current peacebuilding efforts are often limited because they fail to address the radical restructuring of political and economic power, instead reinforcing existing inequalities and enabling autocratic governance through the building of state institutions that can be used for predation and control.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the precarious state of the peace process in Angola as of April 1998. It examines the historical roots of the conflict, the failure of previous peace accords, the clandestine networks supplying weapons to UNITA, and the potential scenarios for the country's future, ranging from renewed military conflict to a fragile political transition.