Chapter 6 - What Is ‘African’ about African Peacekeeping?

Summary

The bulk of African peacekeeping is funded externally, particularly by Western powers. Indeed, some African peacekeeping missions have been unable to get off the ground – literally – without logistical and other support from beyond the continent. This has led some commentators to argue that African peacekeeping is not, in fact, 'owned' by Africa. This claim is explored and challenged in this chapter. The authors begin by unpacking and historicising the concept of Pan-Africanism, a language often marshalled by African governments to explain and interpret their involvement in peacekeeping but also a discourse which can obscure as much as it reveals. The chapter then looks in greater depth at the funding and governance of African peacekeeping missions, looking in particular at the bureaucratic politics at the heart of the African Union. The chapter concludes by problematising the linking of financial support to lack of ownership in the context of peacekeeping, underscoring the various ways in which African states and governments exercise agency in the peacekeeping sphere despite their dependence upon external funding.