Leading expert on Sudan and the Horn of Africa war, Alex de Waal, Executive Director, World Peace Foundation recently delivered a lecture at the University of Limerick. The lecture entitled ‘Contesting Visions of Peace in Africa: Darfur, Ivory Coast, Libya’ explored divergent attempts to end those conflicts, focusing on the growing role of the African Union.

Speaking about Ireland’s influence in global aid; de Waal said; “Without doubt, Ireland has used its aid budget to exceptional effect. Ireland is an innovative and thoughtful aid donor, ranked as overall the best of the donors by independent 'quality of aid' assessments. Combined with the Irish expertise on peacemaking, this gives Ireland a discreet but profound influence in world affairs.”

Alex de Waal said; “Since it was founded ten years ago, the African Union is aspiring to play a leading role in setting the standards for peacemaking in Africa. It has set remarkable norms for democracy and the peaceful resolution of conflicts, but too often its efforts have been swept aside by powerful global players keen to impose their own solutions. Nowhere has this been more evident than in Libya, where the UN and NATO blocked Africa’s efforts to find a negotiated solution to the war – a decision that the world may come to regret, as we see the blowback from the campaign of forcible regime change with instability in neighbouring African countries, not to mention Libya itself.”

This lecture will look at how the African Union is becoming a significant player in peace and security, and is introducing some creative approaches. The African Union most often focuses on building consensus, either minimally among belligerents or more inclusively among all societal stakeholders, and tends to prioritize stability. Tensions between the two approaches, latent in Darfur, barely suppressed over Ivory Coast, became public during the Libya war, where the African Union tried to mediate while the UN and NATO pursued a military campaign.

Dr Maura Adshead, Head of the Department of Politics and Public Administration, UL said; “This lecture, coming just as the Government carries out its review of the White Paper on Irish Aid, is timely. The economic and political setting in which the Government manages its aid programme has become very challenging compared to 2006, when Irish Aid’s first White Paper was published. Most significantly, there are fewer resources – as reflected in the 30 per cent contraction in the budget allocated to Irish Aid since 2008. In a setting in which the commitment of such resources is likely to confront domestic political challenge, Irish Aid needs to make a stronger case for the benefits it brings. Considering its size, Ireland enjoys a disproportionate influence and regard in international aid, development and peace-building missions. With this in mind, we should be concerned with how we deploy this influence.”  

The lecture preceded a World Café - ‘new communities’ workshop attended by 65 participants representing countries such as: Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Beni, Guinea, Nigeria, Sudan, Ruanda, Kenya. The new communities shared opinions on the challenges facing social and economic development and on their role in renewing both the Irish economy and society.