Sudan: Washington Post Editorial Warns of Genocide in Darfur

 The Washington Post published on 21 June 2023 an editorial titled "Another Genocide Is Brewing in Darfur.  Here Are Some Options to Stop It."

The conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has spilled over into Darfur in western Sudan and threatens to reignite the area's brutal ethnic cleansing of 20 years ago.  The United States, the International Criminal Court, UN Security Council, Sudan's neighbors in Africa and the Middle East, and the African Union need to intervene to prevent another genocide.  

Will China's Development Model Lead to Peace in Africa?

 The Conversation posted on 18 April 2021 a commentary titled "Peace and Security in Africa: How China Can Help Address Weaknesses" by Dries Velthuizen, University of South Africa.

The author argues that China's development model offers a blueprint for modernization and transformation of African economies and, hence, can address peace and security on the continent.  

First China-Africa Peace and Security Forum

The First China Africa Peace and Security Forum opened in Beijing on 14 July 2019. Some 100 representatives from 50 African countries and the African Union are in attendance.

The text of the statement by ambassador Smail Chergui, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, at the First China-Africa Peace and Security Forum spells out China's previous assistance to the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia and the African Standby Force.

NATO and China in Africa

The Friends of Europe published on 25 October 2016 a commentary titled "NATO and China in Africa" by Brooke Smith-Windsor, NATO Defense College, and Alexander Moens, Simon Fraser University.

The authors conclude that global strategic competition between Western and Chinese values does not preclude NATO and China working towards the same objectives. There are situations in Africa where NATO and China may gain strategic and tactical benefits: strategic in the sense of finding common objectives and mutually reinforcing efforts that include dialogue, and tactical in the sense of working alongside and learning from each other.

China's Role in South Sudan

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) published on 14 December 2015 a commentary titled "China's Role in South Sudan a Learning Curve" by Liesl Louw-Vaudran, ISS consultant.  The author describes China's UN peacekeeping efforts in South Sudan and the challenges they face. 

Status of African Standby Force (ASF)

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) published in May 2013 a study titled "African Standby Force Police Roster System."  Long debated, the ASF has not yet been established.  The paper specifies the proposed features and functions of the ASF police roster system.  It proposes relevant standards, procedures and tools of the roster data operations and sharing; provides insights into the processes of the system's creation, operationalization and management; and outlines the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders in the establishment and operation of the system.

The author is Tsegaye D. Baffa, a senior researcher in the Conflict Management and Peacebuilding Division of ISS and a former assistant commissioner of police from Ethiopia. 

African Union Peace Operations

I presented brief remarks on African Union (AU) peace operations at a national security seminar held by George Washington University on 7 December 2012. My remarks focus on the AU peace operations architecture and assessment of the AU's efforts so far to deal with conflict.

Click here to read the remarks.