Papers by Andrews Atta-Asamoah
Debating African Issues, Jul 28, 2022
Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Jul 13, 2020
He has worked as a security consultant covering the Horn of Africa and Lake Chad Basin, and as se... more He has worked as a security consultant covering the Horn of Africa and Lake Chad Basin, and as senior analyst for a Washington DC-based consultancy firm. Omar has an Master's degree in security studies and conflict resolution from the Fletcher School, Tufts University, Boston.
This paper addresses the debate on natural resources and conflict from the point that conceptuali... more This paper addresses the debate on natural resources and conflict from the point that conceptualisations of the linkages between conflicts and natural resources have generally concentrated on the human aspects of the relationship. By so doing, the nature of natural resources and the influence their inherent and locational characteristics have on the roles they play in conflicts are seldom taken into account. Drawing on African conflict experience, the paper adduces evidence to establish an argument that this approach is one-sided for a proper understanding of the issues involved, and maintains that a more holistic understanding and conceptualisation should appreciate the role of natural resource characteristics. It posits that a given resource has a higher chance of fuelling conflict when it has characteristics that require less specialised skills for its exploitation and refinement, has high liquidity, and is easily portable and therefore 'smugglable'.
ECOWAS and the Dynamics of Conflict and Peace-building, 2011
The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) is a Ghanaian led institution,... more The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) is a Ghanaian led institution, which is supported by the international community through the provision of staff and specifically focused international financial assistance. It operates on behalf of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to provide Operational Level training for personnel involved in global, regional and sub-regional Peace Support Operations. The Centre offers regional and international participants the opportunity to examine specific peace operations issues at the operational level and to update and share their knowledge of the latest practices through training courses, conferences and presentation and publishing of research findings.
progress in the country. Despite the improvement in the security situation in parts of Somalia si... more progress in the country. Despite the improvement in the security situation in parts of Somalia since the end of the transition period in 2012, the country is still far from achieving its goal of sustainable peace. The transition process was unable to bring about lasting peace because it was not meant to be a peacebuilding process. Rather, it was intended to end years of weak successive transition governments and feeble political leadership in a challenging situation. As a result, the transition process has succeeded in giving the country a new crop of leaders and helped to build towards peace, but it has not delivered peace. Consequently, the realities that the post-transition government faces are as old and entrenched as the genesis of the crisis itself. Peace efforts in the immediate post-transition period face complicated political and security dynamics. Progress in dealing with these dynamics will be defined by three key factors: first, the strength or weakness of the new Somali...
The year 2011 heralded the convergence of various initiatives seeking to curtail the financing of... more The year 2011 heralded the convergence of various initiatives seeking to curtail the financing of conflict in the Great Lakes region through the illegal exploitation of minerals. The combined effect of seeking to comply with the various processes has had significant implications at the national, regional and international levels by altering the dynamics of mineral exploitation in the region in both positive and negative ways. The positive impact has been in the area of the immense contribution of the initiatives to increased awareness of the role of illegally exploited minerals in financing conflict in the region and the need for various stakeholders to exercise responsibility in the sourcing and trading of minerals so as not to inadvertently fuel insecurity. On the flip side, however, this increased awareness has led to the labelling of minerals from the region, particularly gold, tin, tantalum and tungsten, as potential conflict minerals.
... Looking on is the Deputy Commandant. WO1 Gabriel Gakpleadzi exchanging a warm handshake with ... more ... Looking on is the Deputy Commandant. WO1 Gabriel Gakpleadzi exchanging a warm handshake with the Executive Director-KAIPTC. Mr Emmanuel Martey receiving a plaque from Col. JK Klobodu Dr Kwesi Aning presenting a plaque to Prof. Osita Eze Page 3. ...
Continental and regional good governance and electoral frameworks, such as the AU's African Chart... more Continental and regional good governance and electoral frameworks, such as the AU's African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance and the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, should consider establishing guiding principles for member states that consider the adoption of this practice. This will facilitate its smooth and guided adoption on the continent. Despite the promising relevance of the practice, however, its form and nature are still not well understood. The practice is also not well known in many policy circles on the continent. This calls for further research, intellectual interrogation of the concept and continental dialogue on its relevance in emerging democracies.
Following up on its threat to strike at Kenya if the country does not cease deploying troops in S... more Following up on its threat to strike at Kenya if the country does not cease deploying troops in Somalia, al-Shabaab has effectively regionalised its activities, established an active presence in the country and succeeded in carrying out numerous attacks there. Insecurity associated with the group has therefore emerged to define Kenya’s postdeployment security terrain in a way that has affected many aspects of the country’s socio-economic and political landscape.
It has been argued that the end of the Cold War lifted the lid from a cauldron of simmering tensi... more It has been argued that the end of the Cold War lifted the lid from a cauldron of simmering tensions and plunged Africa into bloody conflicts that exacerbated poverty, worsened disease prevalence and increased atrocities on the continent.70 In 1996 alone, 14 of the 53 countries of Africa were afflicted by armed conflicts, accounting for a significant number of war deaths and resulting in more than 8 million refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons.71 The accompanying atrocities and human rights abuses meted out to non-combatants made Africa home to some of the world’s most gruesome war-related human rights abuse records and atrocities.72 Contributing to this history of Africa in the post-Cold War era is the West African sub-region where Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau and Côte d’Ivoire were, at different times, plunged into civil wars. The combined sub-regional effects and interrelated conflict complex contributed to considerable negative tagging of the sub-region. ...
The Somalia arms embargo was imposed in January 1992 by Security Council Resolution 733 (1992) pr... more The Somalia arms embargo was imposed in January 1992 by Security Council Resolution 733 (1992) primarily to restrict the delivery of all weapons and military equipment into Somali territory as a way of impacting on the worsening security situation in the country. Sixteen years after its imposition, however, the country appears to be more awash with small arms and light weapons than it was before the embargo was imposed. This paper argues that even though the Somali embargo may have failed abysmally in restricting the access of factions in the conflict to weapons, it has not failed in offering instructive lessons for other embargoes on the continent and in strengthening the use of embargoes as an instrument for the pursuit of peace in the world. On this basis, the implementation and monitoring dynamics of the arms embargo in Somalia are discussed as a basis for not only strengthening it, but also shedding light on modalities and conditions for effective implementation of embargoes el...
Monograph 203, 2020
Conflict, violence and insecurity continue to be major threats to realising the African Union’s A... more Conflict, violence and insecurity continue to be major threats to realising the African Union’s Agenda 2063. To address widespread instability in Africa, and with the aim of leaving a continent at peace to the next generation, Africa’s leaders committed to working towards a continent free from conflict by 2020. It has been seven years since the declaration, which has become known as Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020, and four years since the Master Roadmap of practical steps towards implementing its objectives was adopted. This study assesses the context in which the initiative was rolled out and is being implemented. It examines what the implementation efforts have achieved, and challenges hampering its implementation. The monograph provides answers to help policymakers understand the extent of progress made and how to improve steps towards silencing the guns in Africa. Using data from extensive secondary sources and interviews with key actors involved in the implementation effo...
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Papers by Andrews Atta-Asamoah