EVALUATING AFRICAN AGENCY IN ADDRESING ATROCITY CRIMES

Debates about humanitarian intervention have always been deeply contested and are always shaped by the tension between genuine protection of human rights and the political realities of state sovereignty. The responsibility to protect emerged in 2005 to address this problem but its implementation has been severely constrained by the geopolitical dynamics of the United Nations Security Council. This has led to calls for regional organizations to step up and fill the vacuum left by the United Nations paralysis when it comes to humanitarian intervention. The African Union through Article 4(h) of its Constitutive Act has developed the world's most progressive legal document about humanitarian intervention but its operationalization has been severely lacking. This thesis therefore argues that this represents a general problem within international relations. Even though Africa has managed to develop a strong legal framework for intervention, its capacity remains constantly undermined by institutional limitations, political interests and external dependence. By examining this problem, this thesis aims to evaluate the reasons why Africa has not been able to fully operationalize one of the world's most progressive legal documents on humanitarian intervention.