FBA in sub-Saharan Africa

A large number of the world’s conflicts is in Africa. Africa is also the continent where the majority of UN’s peace operations are deployed. FBA is commissioned to support peace and security in the sub-Saharan region.

Contemporary conflicts commonly involve many different armed groups, both state and non-state actors, and tend to spill over borders. Civilian populations are often victims of violence. In order to solve today’s complex, cross-border conflicts and build sustainable peace, regional cooperation is needed.

FBA supports regional actors in sub-Saharan Africa in their efforts for peace, mainly the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Within the framework of Sweden’s development cooperation with sub-Saharan Africa, FBA is focused on two areas:

Women, peace and security
Women have traditionally played a marginalized role in peace processes in the region. Both the AU and ECOWAS aim at increasing the participation of women in their work, and at better recognizing and meeting the different security needs of women, men, boys and girls. FBA supports gender mainstreaming efforts in the AU and ECOWAS, for example through training and expert advice.

Dialogue and peace mediation
FBA offers expert advice on dialogue and peace mediation to the AU, in order to stregthen the organization’s role as a key mediator in African conflicts. FBA also offers dialogue and mediation training for ECOWAS and key actors within the ECOWAS member states, in order to enhance their capacity to prevent electoral violence. Violence in connection with elections is a widespread problem in West Africa.

Click here to read the entire strategy for Sweden’s development cooperation with sub-Saharan Africa 2016–2021.

New FBA mission – promote human security in southern Africa

Strengthening Africa’s regional forces for peace

Electoral violence a threat to peace and democratic development

Photo: UN Photo/Catianne Tijerina

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Latest news

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Meet the youth fighting for peace in Iraq

2019-12-04 16:33
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Rafal Janahi, 31

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IN THE FIELD

Johan Chytraeus

Monitoring officer in Ukraine

Karolina Riedel

Statistician in election observation missions

Adam Bergman

Adviser to the UN in Nigeria

Mimmi Milligan

Reintegration adviser in Geneva

Björn Tedeman

Election observer

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Analyst in Iraq

Read our publications

UN Peace Operations and the Rule of Law 1989–2017

This report contains unique empirical data from 76 UN peace operations between 1989 and 2017. The data paint a picture of the kinds of rule of law assistance that have actually been provided, and allow discussion on how important shifts in peacekeeping and rule of law policy reflect in practice.

Documents

UN Peace Operations and the Rule of Law.pdf

More Publications

THE FBA BLOG

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Posted by Jessica Rothman
Peace-making and cheese-making in Georgia

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Exactly ten years had passed since I last worked in Georgia, when I returned for my deployment to the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM), in the country that has a special place in my heart. I arrived with so much curiosity and excitement, wondering how Georgia had developed and recovered after the war in 2008. The first thing that struck me was the condition of the cars, where were all the dilapidated Ladas and Volgas that used ... Read entire post »
2019-12-05 11:19
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Posted by Eric Mellado-Åhlin
Revising the UN guidelines for support to the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants: a high-hanging fruit

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One of my first tasks as a desk officer at FBA, working with disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of former combatants, was to assist in arranging a conference in Stockholm. As the conference approached, I understood that the goal – to unite the 25 UN agencies of the Inter-Agency Working Group on DDR and come to agreement on the way forward for the revision of the Integrated DDR Standards (IDDRS) – was more complicated than I ... Read entire post »
2019-11-26 16:22
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Posted by Kuisma Kinnunen
From policy to practice – gender as a perspective

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As a trainer, what could be better than to be part of a multinational group with a variety of backgrounds, eagerly wanting to learn new skills? Especially when you get to be the course participant for a change.

I had a dual aim when I recently participated in the Gender Perspective in the EU Common Security and Defence Policy Course, organised by FBA under the auspices of the European Security and Defence College. Besides learning new gender ... Read entire post »
2019-10-23 11:27