What Do We Know About the African Union’s Peace and Security Intervention After Two Decades? A Scoping Review of Approaches, Legitimacy, Effectiveness and Ownership

More than two decades of scholarship have examined African Union Peace and Security Interventions (AUPSI), yet no study has systematically synthesized this growing body of literature. This review addresses that gap by analysing 186 English-language, peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2026. The review synthesizes the literature around four interconnected themes: intervention approaches, legitimacy, effectiveness, and ownership. The reviewed scholarship consistently portrays AUPSI as possessing both strong normative appeal and practical utility. The literature depicts AUPSI as normatively rooted in principles of Pan-Africanism, post-colonialism, self-determination, and African emancipation, reflecting African actors’ commitment to managing the continent’s security challenges. Practically, AUPSI has become increasingly important in response to persistent insecurity across Africa at a time when UN peace operations are in decline. At the same time, the literature highlights significant challenges relating to external financial dependence, militarization, coordination, legitimacy, and local ownership, which continue to constrain the effectiveness of AU interventions. Despite these challenges, we argue that AUPSI is best understood as a form of strategic African agency operating within an emerging hybrid global security architecture. This framing moves beyond accounts that either celebrate AUPSI uncritically or dismiss it as a product of external dependence. The conclusion identifies areas for future research, policy innovation, and institutional development to strengthen AUPSI.