The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Regional Capacity Enhancement initiative provides about 200 civil servant support officers (CSSOs) from neighbouring countries to South Sudan where they are twinned with counterparts across a range of ministries and sectors to rapidly develop core government capacity in a coaching and mentoring scheme. The initiative is promising as a new and potentially innovative model of triangular cooperation for capacity development for four reasons.

ByMorten Bøås with James J. Hentz

Africa’s security is currently standing at a crossroads. Relatively high African growth rates in combination with the increased institutional strength, credibility and legitimacy of the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have led to greater confidence in Africa’s ability to deal with its security challenges. However, the continent is also confronted with significant security challenges that could have severe ramifications across several countries and regions.

Despite the perceived threat to international peace and security presented by the crisis in Mali, the international community did not act to resolve it for nearly ten months, which allowed Islamists to militarily take control of the whole of northern Mali and impose sharia law.

Morten Bøås, Liv Elin Torheim, 15 March 2013

This policy brief addresses the involvement of women in peace processes, negotiations, and agreements and outlines the shape of contemporary peace processes and their resultant agreements, arguing that they exclude women. It stresses the importance of peace processes and agreements to women, because these processes not only aim to institute a ceasefire and end the conflict, but often also define the new structures and constitution of the country, including its political and legal institutions.

UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions have attempted to redefine the relationships among women, peace and security. For many activists and practitioners, making gender central to peacebuilding and conflict resolution should transform the international peace and security agenda. However, there are indications that women are being integrated into the existing peace and security agenda without any transformation occurring.

Nicolas Pelham, 25 February 2013

The UN Mission in South Sudan's new civilian protection strategy perpetuates expectations it will never be able to meet. However, notwithstanding existing challenges, improvements to the mission's current performance in this area seem feasible, according to a new CRU Policy Brief.

This policy brief explores the conditions under which non-state armed groups generate and maintain the political will to restore the state’s monopoly over the use of force by examining lessons learnt from recent peace processes with regard to the timing, sequencing, ownership, and modalities of disarmament and demobilisation.