The Kampala Convention: A Significant Achievement of AU in Setting Norms

This article identifies the key contributions of the Kampala Convention through legal analysis and interpretation of its provisions. More importantly, it sketches the most notable and significant contributions of the Kampala Convention in terms of the protection gap it seeks to fill, and its novelty as well as its contributions to the international, regional and ...

The International Criminal Court and African Leaders: Deterrence and generational shift of attitude

With thirty‐four of its member states being state parties to the ICC, the AU’s main disagreement is not with the ICC, as a court, but rather with the prosecutorial policy, the powers of the UNSC and more fundamentally with some of the provisions of the Rome Statute of the ICC. For many African scholars, as ...

The Global Compact on safe, orderly and regular migration: What Africa should demand from the world and from itself

The movement of people today, whether voluntary or forced, regular or undocumented, or within or beyond borders, constitutes a complex process highlighting some of the most tragic, intricate and contentious issues of governance and diplomatic relations. At the same time, migration remains, as it was for centuries, source of integration, prosperity and propagation of cultures, ...

The Valletta Dilemma. Why migration governance in Africa should take centre stage

In view of the current migration crisis, the European Union (EU) has called a summit on migration in Valletta, Malta from 11-12 November 2015. African representatives have been invited to participate in this meeting. Ahead of the summit, both the EU and the African Union (AU) have put forward separate position papers reflecting their priorities ...

Potential Causes, Consequences of S. Sudan becoming a “Failed State”

Oxymoronically described as a ‘pre-failed’ state, the current crisis in South Sudan emanates from the failure of the South Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) to transform into a democratic party, and a state army respectively. Borne out of a post-independence political indulgence and inclination marked by the absence of any credible and meaningful political and ...

The Global Compact on safe, orderly and regular migration: What Africa should demand from the world and from itself

The movement of people today, whether voluntary or forced, regular or undocumented, or within or beyond borders, constitutes a complex process highlighting some of the most tragic, intricate and contentious issues of governance and diplomatic relations. At the same time, migration remains, as it was for centuries, source of integration, prosperity and propagation of cultures, ...

The AU reform agenda: What areas of reform are most transformational and of the highest return for the continent?

Figuratively, a reformer needs a telescope for long-horizon vision and a microscope for the basics. The AU needs long-term foresight that focuses on the superstructure, the end state and envisaged vision of the reform; but more importantly, it requires a strong foundational substructure. The AU reform agenda began with an overall strategic vision as provided ...

Carpe Diem – Mixed Migration Review Interview with Dr. Mehari Taddele Maru

Current efforts to draft the global compacts on refugees and migrants offer a unique opportunity for Africa to raise its concerns. The continent will make the most of it, predicts Mehari Taddele Maru. Dr Mehari Taddele Maru is a Robert Schuman Fellow, Migration Policy Centre, European University Institute, specializing in migration and humanitarian issues, law ...

Keeping Peace in Abyei: The Role and Contributions of Ethiopia

Since February 2011, Abyei and South Kordofan, oil rich disputed border areas of South Sudan and Sudan, witnessed an intensive military clash between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) forces and the military of the Government of Sudan (GoS).  This reached a tipping point when the GoS forces took control of the town of Abyei ...

Mehari Taddele Maru identifies four intellectual challenges for African think tanks

This year, IPSS will celebrate its 10th anniversary. This marks a high point of achievement for Addis Ababa University, IPSS and its partners during this eventful inaugural decade. Though conceived in 2004 in the AAU Reform Action Plan, IPSS was born three years later in 2007.[1] The Institute was designed “to bridge the gap between the ...