Assessment of the OAU mechanism for conflict prevention, management and resolution : case study of the Rwandan conflict 1990 - 1994

Abstract

This dissertation assesses the role of the OAU Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution in conflict management. The major argument is that the OAU conflict management Charter principles, namely non-interference in internal affairs of states,respect for border inherited at independence (the principle of Ziti possidetisjusi), the principle of sovereign equality of states, and the fourth, and which is not included in the Charter and which it developed out of practice is the principle of African solutions to African problems, or 'try the OAU first principle', All these are stated in article three of the OAU Charter and are hindering the organisation from effectively managing conflicts, especially internal conflicts in the region which were abundant after the end of Cold War. The research contends that there is an apparent need for the OAU to restructure its Charter, which is a Cold War tool and make it adaptable for the post-Cold War times. The survey proposes that the OAU needs to recognize and enhance the involvement of sub-regional organizations in conflict management, with the aim of developing a dual conflict management approach. The management of the Rwandan conflict between 1990-1994 forms the basis on which the research analyses the efficacy of the OAU -in conflict management. It is an example of an internal conflict, which became internationalized thus becoming part of the conflict system in the Great Lakes Region.