African Union and Conflict Resolution in Africa: a Case of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), 2002-2010

Abstract

The study focuses on the analysis of the AU and the resolution of intra state political conflict in Africa. The thrust of this study, however, is to find out how the continental body fared in resolving political conflict in the DRC. Specifically, the study investigates the impact of the structures of dependent capitalism, the dynamics of external economic interest in abundant mineral resources in the DRC and the structure of the AU’s Charter on the efforts of the AU at resolving the political conflict in the DRC. Relying on the Orthodox Marxian political economy which reveals that the contradictions in the global movement of capital and the global relations of production and exchange determine, condition and sustain the outward behaviour of states, the study argues that structure of dependent capitalism as well as the dynamics of external economic interest undermines the efforts of the African Union in resolving the political crisis in the DRC since most of the states that pursue their economic interest in the DRC are the same members of AU entrusted with the responsibility of catalyzing a cease fire, initiating peace talks and above all restoring political stability in the country. Adopting observational technique and qualitative descriptive analysis and relying on secondary sources of data, relevant pieces of information were generated and analyzed. On the basis of this, the study ascertained that the structures of dependent capitalism undermine the ability of AU to resolve the political conflict in the DRC. The study also found out that the dynamics of external economic interest in abundant mineral resources in the DRC impinge on the efforts of the AU in resolving the political conflict in the DRC. In view of this, the study maintains that continental body should eschew all manners of interest and seriously intervene and resolve lingering political crisis in Africa as a prerequisite for governance and development.