Regional Economic Communities and Peacebuilding in Africa: The Experiences of ECOWAS and IGAD

African states have responded to the challenges of the post-Cold War international system mostly by collectively promoting sub-regional and continental-wide initiatives in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Admittedly, the existence of many violent conflicts in Africa, as well as their ‘domino’ effects at the sub-regional level, contributed significantly to the growing desire for collective security systems and conflict management mechanisms. The broadening of the role and functions of African regional organisations to include responsibility for peacebuilding and conflict management generally adds credence to the efficacy of regional integration. Many issues, however, present themselves in the engagement of RECs with the peacebuilding process in Africa. Although primarily set up to promote economic integration, Africa’s RECs have increasingly taken up a prominent role in conflict resolution and peace support operations, as evident in the recent peace processes in Burundi, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Zimbabwe, Mali, Congo DRC, Sudan, and South Sudan, among others. In spite of the challenges they face, RECs are capable of playing important roles with regard to peace mediation, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. Victor Adetula is Head of Research at the Nordic Africa Institute, Sweden, and Professor of International Relations & Development Studies at the University of Jos,Nigeria. Redie Bereketeab is Associate Professor of Sociology. He is currently working as senior researcher at the Nordica Africa Institute. He runs a research project on conflict and state building in the Horn of Africa. Olugbemi Jaiyebo is Senior Lecturer at the College of Law, Osun State University, Ifetedo, Nigeria. He is enrolled as a solicitor and advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and is admitted to the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division First Department and the United States District Court, Southern District of New York.