The Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa (IDCPPA) and the Centre for Social Sciences Research at the University of Cape Town invites you to join us for a seminar on 06 December 2022. Dr Michael Aeby will be presenting on the topic: "Implementing African Peace Agreements: Insights from Kenya, South Sudan and Zimbabwe"

Summary:  The African Union (AU) and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) have facilitated numerous peace agreements in intrastate conflicts since they initiated the joint African Peace & Security Architecture (APSA) in 2002. But most agreements collapse instead of being implemented. Peace agreements often collapse for reasons that are beyond the control of external sponsors. However, to render their peace-making efforts more sustainable, the AU and RECs must improve their ability to support the implementation of agreements that are facilitated by their mediators.

Peace Studies literature shows that third parties can support implementation through continued mediation, guarantees and monitoring. AU policies recognise the importance of implementation support, but how the APSA building blocks use mediation, guarantees and monitoring to support implementation in practice must yet be systematically researched to inform policy making and peace-making interventions.

Presenting key findings from a new PeaceRep Report, I will outline how the AU, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and SADC supported the implementation of framework agreements for transitions in Kenya, South Sudan and Zimbabwe. Furthermore, I will present an agenda to comparative research (1) the implementation support practices of APSA building blocks, (2) the design of Implementation Monitoring Mechanisms and (3) public perceptions of implementation processes that may affect whether agreements collapse or succeed in initiating a transition towards the consolidation of peaceful societal relations.

Speaker:  Dr. Michael Aeby is a scholar of African politics and a peace researcher. He holds a PhD and MA in African History from the University of Basel. He worked at the University of Edinburgh and Graduate Institute and was a visiting fellow at the Universities of the Witwatersrand, Western Cape, Zimbabwe and the Human Science Research Council. As a consultant, he has worked for PeaceRep, the Institute for Justice & Reconciliation, Kroc Institute for Peace Studies, Nordic Africa Institute and Swisspeace to conduct policy research on behalf of the UN, EU and GIZ.

Publications:

  Aeby, M. (2022). How African Organisations Support Peace Agreement Implementation: AU, IGAD and SADC mediation, guarantees and monitoring practices in Kenya, South Sudan and Zimbabwe (PeaceRep Report: Global Transitions Series). PeaceRep: The Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform, University of Edinburgh

  Aeby, M. (2022). How African Organisations Envision Peacemaking: AU, IGAD and SADC policies and structures for African solutions (PeaceRep Report: Global Transitions Series). PeaceRep: The Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform, University of Edinburgh