African Unification Front
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AUF PEACE OPERATIONS OVERVIEW
INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING STRUCTURES IN AFRICA
Africans are supportive of UN peacekeeping initiatives. Africa continues
to contribute to peacekeeping and enforcement operations which are based
upon consent of parties within the host nation.
African armies have made contribution to UN, Commonwealth, and regional
peace operations in Africa and abroad. African officers and soldiers
in peace missions served as Military Observers, in troop contingents, and
in battalion operations. They served as observers, monitors, staff or
peacekeepers. Peacekeeping operations in Africa and around the world in
which African armies were involved include:
Zimbabwe (CMFZ) 1979-1980 [CMF=Commonwealth Monitoring Force)
Chad (OAU) 1981-1982
Iran/Iraq (UNIMOG) 1988-1990
Namibia (UNTAG) 1989-1990
Iraq/Kuwait (UNIKOM) 1991
Western Sahara (MINURSO)
Mozambique (ONUMOZ) 1992-1995
Former Republic of Yugoslavia (UNPROFOR) 1992-1998
Somalia (UNOSOM) 1991-1995
Liberia (UNOMIL)
Rwanda (UNAMIR) 1994-1995
Angola (UNAVEM III)
However there must be policy which provides conceptual clarity as to the
boundaries of peace operations, so that Africans may participate fully
and confidently in peace operations. There is a particular need for a
common approach and doctrine for peace operations efforts at the
international level. This will be articulated by a government of unity,
so African troops ensure that such doctrine took account of Africa's
values, customs and traditions. This will apply to the full range of peace
support operations, from preventive diplomacy to military intervention.
Concern over aggravated peacekeeping, where self-defence may lead to a
loss of neutrality and impartiality, make it difficult for peacekeepers
to function appropriately. Before mandating a peace support
operation in the relevant region, the unified government must consider
the causes and history of the conflict, and contribute to the formulation
of more appropriate and realistic resolutions.
African armies also take part in Joint peacetime construction and
humanitarian projects. Generally the Africans in joint operations on
African soil in which NATO or US forces participated, the African armies
function as transport battalions with the task to plan, coordinate and
conduct the convoys, although foreign military personnel have driven
their own military vehicles in parts of Africa.
Except in cases of Peacekeeping missions, Africans armies usually have
command and control for the limited projects that largely include
construction of water wells, air strips, hangers, bunkers, dormitories,
and life fire training facilities. Also NATO and Soviet Red Army troops
have carried out medical excercises that invoved immunization of thousands
of people against the disease.
In many cases the African armies involved in joint generally get to keep
some of the equipment left behind by foreign troops, and also achieve an
understanding of foreign military habits and skills. All all states in
Africa, the Kenyan army has had the longest and most experience with
joint training excercises with US and British troops.
AFRICAN CAPABILITIES FOR PEACE OPERATIONS
Africa armies provided facilities for the delivery of humanitarian aid:
ports, airports, road transport, and other support. Some army divisions
and units have received commendations and international recognition for
their outstanding peacekeeping skills: Troops from Botswana under
UNOSOM were the most productive among armies from all over the world.
They also proved to be the most popular among Somali civilians. African
troops under UNAMIR refused UN orders to leave the war zone and
saved thousands of lives.
African Army officers have also occupied a number of senior UN posts, as
Force Commanders, and Chairs of Joint Verification Committees. African
officers gave distinguished service in Yugoslavia under the UNPROFOR,
as perfoming in such positions as Sector Commander (UNPROFOR, FRY),
Senior Military Liaison Officer, Deputy Sector Commander, Chief of Staff,
and Garrison Commander. Africa has provided thousands of military
observers from all arms of service, and several dozen battalions have had
exposure to peace operations.
Most of the training dedicated to peace operations consists of about
three months pre-deployment training for units and personnel. The
emphasis during this training is on attitudinal re-orientation, aimed
at supplementing the ethos of the soldier with that of the peacekeeper
through emphasis on impartiality, negotiation, mediation, etc.
Unit peace operations training focuses on the special dimensions of peace
operations, as soldiers have already mastered the basic military skills
prior to their selection to a peacekeeping battalion.
African soldiers are trained at hunderds of Recruit Training Centres for
a period of between two weeks and seven months, before being posted to
their units and undergoing further specialist and leadership training.
Training includes the following aspects which relate to skills used in
peace operations, and combat-zone operations:
Phases of war (advance, attack, defence and retro operations up to sub-
unit level); escorting, patrols, ambushes, duties of guards and sentries;
movement control (road blocks and checkpoints); weapon handling and
musketry; endurance and physical fitness; navigation and map-reading;
communications, including military/civilian communications facilities,
linguistics, and modes of dispatch; survival skills; first aid, hygiene
and sanitation (sometimes environmental-ecological awareness is added);
administration and logistic procedures; and terrorism and anti-terrorism.
The only location where environmental training has been offered is
Loitokitok at the base of the Mt. Kilimanjaro. The officer training at
one time offered a regime of enviromentally friendly courses. There is
presently no permanent facility for peace operations training in Africa.
Different training areas are used as necessary.
African states are responsible for selection, assembly, and training of
officers for peace operations. These activities include: Setting
measurable training objectives; providing the logistics for training;
identification of appropriate training facilities; and monitoring of
training.
Furthermore African military HQs have responsibilities partaining to
peace operations that include:
Equipping and maintenance of troops; co-ordination of troop movements
with UN Headquarters; administration of personnel movements within the
mission area; administration of the families of personnel deployed in the
mission area; and the rotation of personnel.
The lack of adequate equipment has hampered African peace keeping work
in the past, sometime at critical times. During the African Genocide in
Rwanda in 1994, peacekeeping troops lacked adequate transports and logistic
support. African armies provide weapons, vehicles and personal equipment
for contingents. Additional needs are supplied by the UN within the
mission area. Thus far, training on such equipment has been provided by
the donor country, within the mission area.
Pre-positioning of equipment in a regional logistics base so that forces
can train on such equipment well in advance of deployment. This would
help solve the problems caused by deploying soldiers who are unfamiliar
with the equipment which they depend upon. Africa has no formalised
system of standby arrangements, but can select and train battalion-sized
contingents for specific operations when the need arises. All soldiers
enlist voluntarily, so there impediment to the deployment of individuals
in support of UN peace operations.
The duration of mission-oriented peacekeeping training for all units
and personnel is between six and ten weeks, depending on the nature and
complexity of the operation, and includes:
The UN/OAU Charter and relevant Security Council resolutions; the
organisation of the UN/OAU and relevant organs; civil-military relations,
including interaction with civilian agencies and organisations such as
UNHCR and ICRC; International Humanitarian Law; historical background
to the conflict; analysis of the mandate of the mission; force composi-
tion and logistic support; and negotiation and mediation skills.
Little background peace operations training for units and personnel
is conducted. Background training packages must be integrated into
basic recruit training. Futhermore, it is necessary to establish inter-
mediary training, i.e. between recruit and staff level.
African military observers rely on mission-specific orientation courses
provided by the UN within the mission area. No background or mission-
specific training for military observers and specialists is conducted by
African armies. This is not adequate.
As far as dedicated training institutions are concerned, the highest
level of peace operations training is presented at Defence Colleges,
to officers.
DRAW BACKS OF JOINT HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS
The US army as well as European armies also use peace time operations
on African soil to gather intelligence and for use in the construction
of war games models in preparation of imaginary wars against Africans.
Using IPB (Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield) that is normally
meant for use against enemy forces, the US army uses peace time joint
excercises to redefine the mission as enemies in preparation. These
aspects of missions are not unauthorized by African authorities. The US
army uses for potential hostile intelligence purposes its logisticians
(supply, maintenance and transport), contracting officers, medical
personnel and civil affairs experts.
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