Abstract
M.A.
Since the end of the Cold War era, peace and security have been the first priority of
the African states. Africa has been afflicted by armed conflicts, wars and genocide
since the African states gained their independence in 1960s. Presently, there are still
some countries that are involved in conflicts including Sudan and Somalia. Armed
conflicts undermine Africa's social and economic developments. Furthermore, this
situation threatens African political stability in particular, peace and security.
The international community is actively engaged in promoting peace, security and
stability in Africa. So far, the United Nations (UN) has conducted eighteen
peacekeeping operations and it still leads eight peacekeeping operations in Africa. It
was found that peacekeeping operations are crucial to sustain peace and stability on
the continent.
The focus and aim of this study is to investigate cooperation between the European
Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) with regard to peacemaking and
peacekeeping in Africa. It was found that cooperation between the EU and AU has
increased since the first EU-Africa Summit in Cairo in 2000. Both the EU and the AU
have recently strengthened their relationship in a wide range of activities including
human rights and governance, economic growth as well as peace and security.
Importantly, the second EU-Africa Summit was held in Lisbon, in December 2007. At
this, the EU highlighted the importance of a comprehensive, robust and long-term
framework for its relations with the AU.
The EU and Africa are connected by strong historical, trade and colonial links and the
EU has a deep interest in a prosperous and stabilised Africa. Meanwhile, armed
conflicts not only paralyse the African continent's, but also the European states'
interests. Thus, the EU has reinforced its relationship with the AU in the fields of
peace and security.