African Peacekeeping

In September 2018, the government of Somalia announced that it was ready to send troops to war-torn South Sudan as part of a regional peacekeeping initiative - a decision endorsed by the regional security organization, IGAD (Inter-governmental Authorityon Development). The announcement elicited surprise in some quarters; Somalia itself has - at the time of writing - been in the midst of civil war since 1988 and the site, since 2007, of the African Union (AU)'s largest and longest-running peace support operation, AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia). Some may ask how it is possible a country like Somalia, a country that is coming out of conflict and enmity, can contribute to a peacekeeping force", noted Somalia's deputy education minister, who then asked "But what is stopping us from taking part in peace building in other parts of Africa where there is conflict?"1"--