"An African army for Africans?"

As the third annual summit of the African Union draws closer, the spotlight is falling on the organisation’s newest branch: the Peace and Security Council, and its proposed standby force.

Inaugurated in May at the AU headquarters in Ethiopia, the 15-member council will be advised by a panel comprising five Africans of repute. Analysts hope the council –- which still has to be ratified by a majority of AU members –- will prove a more powerful and efficient agency than other bodies set up to resolve the continent’s woes.

The council aims to provide a "timely and efficient response to conflict and crisis situations" on the continent, such as unconstitutional changes of government, humanitarian and natural disasters.

Inevitably, questions have been raised about funding for the standby force that will give council the muscle it needs to contain such situations.

According to Kondwane Chirambo of the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (Idasa), trans-continental peace-keeping operations have shown themselves to be financially demanding and politically delicate. And, some have fallen short of the demands placed on them. (Idasa is a think tank based in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria.)
Full Article : mg.co.za