Are African organizations starting to play a bigger role in peacekeeping operations on the continent?
Yes. Recently, regional groups like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) are focusing on building their own capacity to carry out peacekeeping operations in Africa. These missions are conducted with support from the UN and western nations, which are happy to have African soldiers patrolling African conflicts. Recent examples include: • Liberia, 2003. Violence between supporters of then-President Charles Taylor and rebels opposed to his rule escalated until ECOWAS deployed a Nigerian-led force, with U.S. support, in August. Nigerian President Olusegun Obansanjo also led extensive AU diplomatic efforts, which ended with Taylor agreeing to step down and enter into exile in Nigeria. The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) took over the mission in September 2003. In November 2005, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was elected president in what international observers called a free and fair election. • Burundi, 2003. Violent conflict between Hutu and Tutsi factions
