![Sample our Area Studies journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5922/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Area-Studies.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
The article reviews contemporaneous security sector reform (SSR) models and proposes an Afrocentric human security oriented alternative, a constitutional based transformative approach. The post-colonial security sector in African countries continues to struggle with converting and infusing the nationalist liberators’ underlying values into the new institutions and this has kept post-independence security provision skewed in favour of the new political elite. Post-liberation war African countries have undergone series of SSR that depicted some semblance of stability during the transition from violent liberation struggles that were mostly fought from exile, yet the possibility of intractable conflict is real. Decades after the retreat of colonialism, the national security apparatus in the region remains a source of both instability and insecurity in many countries. This proposed SSR constitutional based transformative framework is underpinned by three core concepts: participation; accountability and transparency that undergird the core of a participatory anchored security sector governance (SSG) approach. These elements are critical factors for influencing the transformation and decolonising of the post-colonial security sector in Africa into human security focused systems.
Notes
1 Bendix and Stanley, ‘Security Sector Reform in Africa’.
2 This policy brief was an attempt by Hendricks and Hutton to design a context relevant SSR project for Zimbabwe after the 2008 elections. See Hendricks and Hutton, Security Sector Reform in Zimbabwe.
3 Rupiya and Njeri, An evaluation of the post-Savimbi peace process pointed out how the post Savimbi peace process in Angola revealed the many shortcomings of SSR in Africa.
4 Guerilla warfare tactics utilized in the liberation struggles acknowledged the masses as the force that sustained the wars and emphasized the need to respect and appreciate the support.
5 McGuire, The security factor in the political economy of development distinguishes between productive and unproductive security provision and the impacts on development.
6 Sedra, Security Sector Reform 101.
7 Sierra Leone and Liberia's SSR are good examples of the Eurocentric approach.
8 Sedra, The future of security sector reform.
9 DfID/FCO/MoD GCPP 2004–2005 Security sector reform strategy.
10 Swedish policy framework for Security SSR by the Folke Bernadotte Academy.
11 Bekoe and Parajon, Security Sector Reform in Liberia; Isima, ‘Scaling the hurdle’; Albrecht et al, ‘Security sector reform, the European way’.
12 Ibid.
13 Human security is a two-pronged approach that links human development with the elimination of all types of human insecurity. The protecting of individuals and communities against violence is a crucial and complementary element of the concept.
14 African Union's Policy Framework on Security Sector Reform.
15 Atelhe et al., ‘Overview of security sector reforms’.
16 The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance was adopted by the Eighth Ordinary Session of the Assembly, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 30 January 2007.
17 McGuire, The security factor in the political economy of development.
18 The Seychelles uses the military to move ballot boxes and argues that it is the only institution with the capacity to do so and Zimbabwe’ military has a well-documented history of involvement in the elections since 2002.
19 Hills, ‘Managing the interface’.
20 Ibid.
21 United States Department of State, 2014 Country reports on human rights practices .
22 Chikwanha, The liberation culture and missed opportunities for security sector reforms in Zimbabwe 1980-2018.
23 Ball et al, Voice and accountability in the security sector.
24 United Nations Development Programme, Public oversight of the security sector.
25 Prempeh, ‘Africa’s constitutionalism revival’.
26 The Civil Society Capacity Building to Map and Monitor Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans noted many of these challenges in Macedonia's SSR. See Skopye, Context Analysis of the Security Sector Reform in Macedonia 1991 – 2008, 2011.
27 Prempeh, ‘Africa’s constitutionalism revival’.
28 Nicolle et al, 2002.
29 Yordanova, The transparency - security dilemma in national and international context.
30 African Union Commission, AGA citizen engagement policy on AGA Citizen Engagement. http://aga-platform.org/index.php/2015-10-20-06-26-8.
31 OECD, Security System Reform and Governance.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Annie Barbara Chikwanha
Annie Barbara Chikwanha is an Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Johannesburg. She has extensive regional experience on democracy & governance, human security, security sector governance and peace and conflict, and has consulted and published on these themes for regional and international organisations. She is a member of the International Advisory Committee for the Research Programme on Security & Rule of Law in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings Programme that is managed by the Netherland Research Council and the NWO – WOTRO Science for Global Development.