"Particularly in the context of internal conflicts, international law is frequently unable to create and sustain frameworks for peace in Africa. In Peacebuilding in the African Union, Abou Jeng explores the factors which have prevented such steps forward in the interaction between the international legal order and postcolonial Africa. In the first work of its kind, Jeng considers whether these limitations necessitate recasting the existing conceptual structure and whether the Constitutive Act of the African Union provides exactly this opportunity through its integrated peace and security framework. Through the case studies of Burundi and Somalia, Jeng examines the structures and philosophy of the African Union and assesses the capacity of its practices in peacemaking. In so doing, this book will be of great practical value to scholars and legal practitioners alike"-- Provided by publisher.

Towards an introduction -- International law and the Third World -- Violence and conflicts in Africa -- International law responses to conflicts -- the genesis of the African Union -- Philosophy and structures of the African Union -- The African Union peacebuilding travails in Burundi -- The African Union and peacebuilding in Somalia -- Towards an African Union philosophy on peacebuilding?.