The Landmine Factor in the Peacekeeping Debate in Africa

The African continent faces the twinned challenges of on-going conflict and the widespread presence of anti-personnel landmines. While rarely linked at a policy level, in practice, with the deployment of an increasing number of peacekeeping forces across the continent, the two issues are closely related. This paper examines the ways in which the establishment of peacekeeping standby forces at the continental and sub-regional levels in Africa requires a focus on landmines and how efforts to eradicate landmines fit into discussions on common defence policies and peacekeeping. It provides an overview of some recent political initiatives, at the international, regional and national levels on developing a stand-by African peacekeeping capacity and on African progress in implementing the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel landmine production, stockpiling and use. The paper concludes by arguing that international commitments aside, any discussion on deploying peacekeeping forces in Africa needs to take cognisance of the landmine realities that exist across the continent and the steps that are being taken to counter the use of these weapons.