Regionalization of Peacekeeping: An Appraisal of ECOWAS and African Union Peacekeeping Operations

Article II (4) of the UN Charter forbids the use of might by member state against the national sovereignty or political freedom of any country. The deployment of peacekeeping missions and peacekeeping operations has therefore been the traditional province of the UN. However, the emergence of local peacekeeping assignments towards the end of the 20th Century brought in some controversies that preoccupied the attention of some scholars. Such controversies range from the legality of such operations in international law. This thesis probes into the efficacy of the regionalization of peacekeeping operations in Africa with reference to the current debate about legitimacy and cooperation with the United Nations. Keywords: Regionalization of Peacekeeping, Legal Positivism Theory, Process Theory, Effectiveness of Operations, Legality of Operations.