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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.

This joint submission by Corruption Watch and the Institute for Security Studies details how the Executive under former South African President Jacob Zuma manipulated criminal justice agencies—including the SAPS, the Hawks, and the NPA—to entrench state capture. The report highlights the use of strategic appointments, the misuse of crime intelligence to influence ANC party processes, and the obstruction of corruption investigations (such as the Bosasa case) to ensure impunity for the ruling elite. It concludes with twelve recommendations to reform senior management, increase transparency in Executive-agency interfaces, and institutionalize professional appointment processes to prevent future political interference.

This fact sheet introduces evidence-based policing as a methodology to improve police effectiveness and public trust by basing activities on the best existing research rather than intuition or tradition. It outlines a three-step process of targeting, testing, and tracking, and advocates for the adoption of this approach within South African policing to ensure strategies are informed by reliable data and can withstand scrutiny.

The report argues that the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) depends heavily on improving the efficiency, capacity, and security of Africa's maritime transport and port infrastructure to facilitate the movement of goods across the continent.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the environmental risks associated with the Red Sea crisis, highlighting how military conflict and the rerouting of shipping traffic threaten marine ecosystems, increase carbon emissions, and jeopardize the food security of coastal populations in Africa.

This report summarizes a public seminar held on November 20, 2009, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, jointly organized by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development (EIIPD). The seminar, titled "Copenhagen Talks on Climate Change and Africa's Response," focused on strengthening a common African position regarding mitigation, adaptation, and compensation ahead of the Copenhagen climate negotiations.

This research paper outlines the systemic challenges of studying crime and criminal justice in Africa, emphasizing the impact of political repression, the legacy of colonialism, and the scarcity of reliable official data. It highlights how 'African solidarity' can lead to non-compliance with international legal protocols and suggests that regional cooperation through the African Union and SARPCCO offers a path toward greater transparency and institutionalized research.

This summary report details a seminar held on October 22, 2009, titled 'Crime and Criminal Justice Systems in Africa-Enhancing Human Security,' organized by the African Human Security Initiative (AHSI). The event featured presentations on the challenges of studying crime in Africa, the impact of organized crime in Southern Africa, survey findings from Western African countries, and the complexities of harmonizing diverse legal systems across the continent.

This 2012 briefing reports on the economic and political decline of South Africa, citing poor educational outcomes, rising unemployment, and systemic corruption under President Jacob Zuma. It contrasts South Africa's 2% GDP growth with the 6% average seen in other African nations and notes a shift in the ANC's political culture from sacrifice to self-enrichment.

This research paper examines the role of land tenure, migration, and competition for agricultural and pastoral land as structural and proximate causes of violent conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), specifically in the Kivu provinces and Ituri Territory. The authors argue that colonial-era dual property systems and post-colonial patrimonial rule under Mobutu transformed land from a communal social asset into a currency of political power and economic wealth, marginalizing rural populations and fueling ethnic tensions.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies assesses the political transition and disarmament initiatives in Burundi during 2004. It examines the structures established under the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, the challenges of integrating rebel factions into a national army, and the role of international peacekeeping forces in facilitating a peaceful transition to elections.

This document is a list of abbreviations used in Volume I of the 'Society Under Siege' series, identifying various political organizations, military groups, and United Nations missions.

This document consists of the abbreviations list and contributor biographies from Volume II of the TCP Series titled 'Society Under Siege II', published by the Institute for Security Studies.

This report discusses the conceptual and practical frameworks for the demilitarisation of states, arguing for a shift from deterrence-based security to 'human security' and 'reassurance'. It provides a critique of traditional military expenditure (milex) budgeting, proposing instead a rationalised process based on objective security assessments and cost-effectiveness analysis of non-military alternatives. The text outlines the financial challenges of achieving a 'peace dividend' in post-conflict settings and suggests the establishment of a National Ministry of Peacebuilding to oversee the transition.

This report chapter by Kees Kingma examines the processes and impacts of demobilising military personnel in Africa, focusing on how the transition from military to civilian life affects peace, security, and human development.

The document proposes the establishment of a Ministry for Peacebuilding as a permanent, cabinet-level government institution to institutionalize a 'culture of peace' and redefine national security beyond military terms. It argues that peacebuilding requires a distinct organizational perspective and dedicated administrative structure to manage disarmament, the conversion of military facilities to civilian use, and the promotion of nonviolent conflict resolution.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines the challenges facing South Africa's electricity sector, specifically the gap between energy planning and grid planning. Using the International Futures (IFs) forecasting model, the author develops three scenarios to 2050—Current Path, Efficient Grid, and Smarter Grid—to demonstrate how integrated planning, operational flexibility, and coherent policies for small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) can improve economic growth and reduce poverty and carbon emissions.

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 briefing outlines a concept for a high-level roundtable forum organized by the Institute for Security Studies and the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The forum aims to analyze the implications of failing to implement 'Agenda 4' items from the Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation framework, specifically focusing on constitutional and land reforms following the 2008 post-electoral violence.

This report documents a seminar held on 1 October 2008 in Pretoria, featuring a presentation by General Martin Luther Agwai, the UNAMID Force Commander. General Agwai discusses the complexities of the conflict in Darfur, the transition from the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) to the AU-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), and the significant operational and logistical challenges facing the mission.