Amisom`S Influence Towards Peacebuilding In Somalia William Oluoch

ABSTRACT

Peace support operations have been conducted in the past under the auspice of the UN, regional

security mechanisms and even unilaterally. These operations are designed to avert humanitarian

complex emergencies in strife-torn nations. There have been military interventions in countries

like Haiti, Bosnia, Yugoslavia and Somalia to prevent humanitarian disaster spiraling out of

hand. Somalia remains embattled in one of the most vicious conflicts of the century. During

collapse of Said Bare`s regime in early 1990s, warlords took over the country as the republic

disintegrated into clan controlled segments. Attempts to mount peace support operations have

proved fruitless. Operation Restore Hope orchestrated by the UN in 1992 which did not

accomplish its mission leading to the deaths of US marines up to date durable peace still remains

elusive. AMISOM troops have stayed in the war-torn Horn of Africa country for nearly a decade

now, yet Somalia still remains volatile. Indeed, recent successful attacks by the Al Shabaab on

AMISOM bases leave many in doubt whether AMISOM is capable of fulfilling its mandate.

Guided by the underpinnings of theory of securitization, theory of armed combat and theory of

interventionism, the research evaluated the effectiveness of African Union Mission operations

influencing peace building in Somalia. It addressed the three specific objectives; to examine the

nature of military strategies in relation to peace building in Somalia; to assess contributions of

African Union Mission operations towards peace building in Somalia and to evaluate challenges

AMISOM face towards peace building. Descriptive research design was used. The target

population was 150 key AMISOM personnel, Somalia`s ambassador to Kenya, 800 soldiers, 10

Somalia elders, and 10 Al-shabaab defectors. Based on 10% to 20% sample size for social

sciences, 80 soldiers were selected through random sampling for the study whereas 15 personnel

from top leadership were selected through purposive sampling. Random sampling was used to

select 10 Al-shabaab defectors for study. Purposive sampling was used to select 10 elders for

interviewing. In-depth interview was used to collect data from the Somalia Ambassador to

Kenya which was predetermined by the virtue of his office. Questionnaires and interviews were

administered to the sampled group. Literature was reviewed from books, journals, periodicals,

and AU policy and legal documents. The study employed descriptive statistical tools to analyse

quantitative data obtained whereas qualitative data were analyzed through qualitative techniques.

The results were presented in line with specific objectives in form of chapters. Seventy three

percent of the respondents felt that the present nature of military strategies slows down its peace

building in Somalia, seventy five percent of the sampled group showed that AMISOM`s

contributions towards peace building is yet to be felt by the common Somalis and the study

found out that eighty percent of the respondents felt that AMISOM faces certain challenges

which makes hard to achieve its mandate. The study recommends that alternative sustainable

sources of funding should be established; operations should major on winning the hearts and

minds of the locals which is vital in fighting asymmetrical warfare; and AMISOM should

enhance capacity building for the National Security Agencies (Somalia National Army, Police

Force and National Intelligence Service Agency) as part of exit strategy. The overall conclusion

is that AMISOM offers the best platform to stabilize Somalia for durable and sustainable