The effectiveness of the international organisations in conflict management: The case study of the African Union Mission in Burundi

Abstract

The study was about the Effectiveness of International Organizations in Conflict Management: the case study of African Union Mission in Burundi. The study was guided by the following study objectives; to establish the methods used by AU Mission to promote conflict management in Burundi; to identify the challenges faced by AU Mission in conflicts management in Burundi and to explore the strategies to address the challenges in conflict management. The study used a sample of 43 key respondents because it was hard to get many in such a politically volatile region/ state, but they provided valuable data where it was discovered that the current conflict which is no longer news in the country and beyond stems from the fact that the incumbent president-Pierre Nkurunziza has abrogated the 2000 Arusha accord and the Constitutional Provisions which sanctioned the term limit to not more than two terms. Therefore the current impasse seems to be beyond the capacity of Burundi and requires the intervention of the African Union. The findings revealed that the government of Burundi is still adamant for peace thus she continues to look on as violations of human rights continue in this destructive conflict. There is no word to lose, the conflict in Burundi is a manifestation that local and international conflict bleeds war if not mitigated, after experiencing its devastating effects in recent history, countries such as Burundi are at the Centre stage of conflict management and resolution mechanisms created by international organizations and institutions to solve the conflict in the country in peaceful ways through a series of international negotiation/mediation efforts from third parties which has become hard because the government is less willing to accept to lose part of its pie in the process.