Securing the African space: A collective response to threats under persisting constraints

In this edition, as in others, we focus on some persisting trends that emphasise the gravity of security challenges in Africa, but also succeed in showcasing the successes of some security mechanisms that are causes of optimism and sources of good practices. The current security situation in Africa continues to be characterised by instability in some spaces with several threats to socio-economic development and the general well-being of people being affected by violent conflict. In all cases, as highlighted in this edition, the transnational nature of conflicts requires a collective response involving states and institutions as stakeholders to find solutions and to act against perpetrators to protect people, infrastructure, and assets. In this regard, it is always good to start with a success story such as the micro-disarmament experiences in Africa presented by Patrick Kachope on lessons learned from the Karamoja Integrated Disarmament and Development Programme in North-Eastern Uganda. In his work, he reasons that a human security approach anchored in a well-coordinated, multiactor framework is an essential lesson for other African communities who must deal with arms infiltration into communities. Jetnor Kasmi and Mohsin Khan sketch a much bleaker picture of the situation in Burundi when they confirm that imbalances created by land ownership and class structure in society causes armed conflict, the general outbreak of violence, forced displacement, paralysed governance, and contestation in power relations. Therefore, reintegration and reconciliation in countries such as Burundi require multiple diplomacies involving local and regional authorities to enhance state legitimacy, to improve the capacity of the state to ensure justice during the reconciliation process as well as to secure and sustain legitimate land tenure. The regional transnational nature of conflict is demonstrated by Ernest Aniche, Inocent Moyo and Christopher Nshimbi who interrogate the nexus between irregular migration and insecurity in the ungoverned spaces of West Africa. The authors confirm the need for sufficient governance mechanisms involving both state and non-state actors to reclaim ungoverned spaces like those in West Africa. Ahmad Aminu and Sivachandralingam Raja also focus on a success story of cooperation among regional organisations by discussing the pivotal role of the Executive Secretariat of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in dealing with political, structural and security challenges in the implementation of inter-organisational cooperation in the Liberian crisis within the ECOWAS Collective Security Framework. The importance of inter-regional cooperation in security matters is further highlighted by Stephen Idahosa, Denis Degterev and Solomon Ikhidero who appraise securitisation initiatives amidst security challenges in the sub-Saharan region of Sahel. The authors discovered that security actors in the Sahel should go beyond speech acts to legitimise the ‘war on terrorism and military action, towards holistic solutions to development problems, addressing the social and economic root causes of terrorism and to improve the economic outlook for the region.