African-Led Stabilisation: a Normative Framework or Organised Practical Response to Insecurity?

Abstract Over two decades, the African Union ( au ), complemented by Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms ( rec s/ rm s) have carried out and managed activities which can conceptually be viewed as distinctive African-led stabilisation effort(s) designed to stabilise states, environments, and regions. These African-led stabilisation efforts have led to the deployment of the au peace enforcement efforts in Somalia, the au Regional Stabilisation Strategy for the Lake Chad Basin Region with support from the Multinational Joint Task Force; the au ’s mission to the Gambia; the G5 Sahel Force; the Southern African Development Community mission to Mozambique and others. Despite this increase African institutions do not have a coherent conceptualisation and framework to understand and clarify these emerging African-led stabilisation efforts. The analysis examines the rise of African-led stabilisation efforts and explains how African-led stabilisation efforts can adopt an adaptive stabilisation approach to improve these interventions.