Securing Peace and Security in North Africa

Abstract

Although it is a region with the continent’s largest economies and three key funders of the AU, North Africa region faces multifaceted transnational threats, which include terrorism, illicit proliferation of arms and proxy wars. These numerous and immediate challenges impede the region from achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2063 and the African Union (AU) Agenda 2030. The ricochet of the Arab Spring of 2011 still resonates in some countries in the region with a likelihood of civil unrest coupled with identity politics and sectarianism being a key characteristic of the political landscape. The absence of the state in conflict areas in the region has opened space for non-state actors (NSA), including extremists, terrorists and armed groups, competing for power and resources. Many challenges in the region, although interconnected, have been addressed in isolation, at times reducing one problem while exacerbating others. In light of the region’s unique geopolitics, international cooperation can contribute to securing peace and security in North Africa. Given the different challenges across North Africa to achieve peace and security in terms of the global goals and the continental agenda, an effective approach requires more than addressing immediate difficulties but also involves: identifying emergent and potential future challenges, and developing mechanisms that can assist government, development partners and local agencies in addressing the conflict challenges.