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Full profile page: Ing. Kateřina Finková

Also in the 21st century, the African continent is constantly torn apart by wars and armed conflicts. Since independence, more than half of African countries have become involved in some of the conflicts and are currently in the process of either fighting for peace or post-conflict peace reconstruction. Peace is one of the most important preconditions for Africa to ensure the continent's future development, but in the future it would be very difficult for each state to ensure the required security individually. According to most African government officials, the only way to achieve this goal is to adopt a common strategy in the name of solidarity and cooperation, especially in view of the deepening global globalization. An illustrative example of current joint efforts to "solve African problems through African ways", for example in the field of security, can be seen in the African Union project.

In this chapter, I would like to address the facts that preceded the creation of the African Union. I will focus mainly on the origin and development of the ideas of pan-Africanism as the ideological basis of this organization. The African Union can be seen as the third phase of the institutionalization of pan-Africanism, and the first phase can be described as the creation of the Pan-African Congress. The establishment of the Organization of African Unity was the result of the second phase of this institutionalization. The principles of operation of the OAJ and the results of its activities will be described and analyzed in detail in the second part of this chapter.

During the 1990s and early 21st century, it became increasingly clear that the further functioning of the OAU was not possible and that it was necessary to transform its interests and capabilities and respond to the changes taking place in the international community by creating a new organization. The African Union began its work in 2002 at a summit in Durban, South Africa, where representatives of 53 African states met. The newly formed organization has set as one of its main goals a change in approach to peace and security issues.

Africa has been estimated to have witnessed approximately 30 conflicts since the 1960s, costing the lives of more than 10 million people on the African continent and costing more than 250 trillion USD. Since the 1980s, Africa has experienced more wars and armed conflicts than any other continent.

At a meeting of the OAU Council of Ministers in 1976, a decision was made to divide Africa into five main regions, within which the individual regional economic communities were subsequently formed. These organizations were supposed to serve as centers of regional economic development from the outset, but the environment of instability and the poor security situation in many parts of Africa slowed down their deeper integration and development.

In ensuring security and stability on the African continent, the AU relies on cooperation with some international organizations, such as the EU, the G8 Group or the United Nations, in financial, material, institutional and logistical terms. In my diploma thesis I will focus mainly on cooperation with the UN as the most important partner in connection with this issue.

The current conflict in the western Sudanese region of Darfur has been described as the "biggest humanitarian catastrophe" since the end of the Cold War. According to the latest statistics, more than 300,000 people have lost their lives as a result of direct violence or malnutrition and disease in this conflict, which flared up in 2003, and more than 2.5 million have been displaced. Despite the fact that the international community has repeatedly declared its efforts to resolve the current situation and not allow further events such as the genocide in Rwanda to be repeated, not enough necessary and decisive steps have been taken to resolve the crisis.

Also in the 21st century, the African continent is constantly torn apart by wars and armed conflicts. Since independence, more than half of African countries have become involved in some of the conflicts and are currently in the process of either fighting for peace or post-conflict peace reconstruction. Peace is one of the most important preconditions for Africa to ensure the continent's future development, but in the future it would be very difficult for each state to ensure the required security individually. According to most African government officials, the only way to achieve this goal is to adopt a common strategy in the name of solidarity and cooperation, especially in view of the deepening global globalization. An illustrative example of current joint efforts to " solve African problems through African ways ", for example in the field of security, can be seen in the African Union project.

Map of Africa
List of African Union countries
Regions of Africa
Major regional organizations in Africa
Article 4 of the AU Founding Document
Structure of African Union bodies
Structure of the Peace and Security Division within the Commission AZ
Map of Sudan
AMIS - administrative sectors in Darfur
Characteristics of the actors in the conflict in Darfur

The beginning of the 21st century is a witness to the renewed efforts of African government officials to resolve conflicts, among which national conflicts are increasingly prevalent. In addition to traditional peacekeeping operations, there has been an effort to engage in complex national conflicts, especially in view of the need to address large-scale humanitarian crises affecting large numbers of African civilians.

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