Title: African Union Peacekeeping and Peace Support Initiatives as Tools for Advancing Pan-African Collective Security: Evidence from Uganda
Authors: Ocan Richard
Volume: 10
Issue: 7
Pages: 173-176
Publication Date: 2026/07/28
Abstract:
This study examined the role of African Union (AU) peacekeeping and peace support initiatives in advancing Pan-African ideals of collective security, using Uganda as a case study. The paper forms part of a wider investigation into AU interventions in Uganda and addresses the specific objective of assessing how AU-led peacekeeping and peace support mechanisms have shaped Uganda's security environment and its contribution to continental stability. A case study design combining document review and structured interviews was adopted, drawing on a sample of 158 respondents comprising AU officials, government representatives, staff of regional organizations, civil society actors, and policy experts, selected through purposive and stratified sampling. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one sample t tests, and correlation analysis. Findings show that respondents broadly endorsed the AU's peacekeeping contribution in Uganda, recording an overall grand mean of 3.81 on a five point scale, interpreted as agreement. The strongest endorsement centered on Uganda's military deployment under AU missions in advancing collective security (mean 4.05), while the weakest centered on the practical implementation of the Silencing the Guns initiative (mean 3.40). All items were statistically significant above the neutral midpoint (p<.001), and perceptions of peacekeeping correlated moderately with both diplomatic engagement (r=0.612) and awareness of institutional challenges (r=0.534). The study concludes that while AU peacekeeping has meaningfully advanced Pan-African security ideals in Uganda, flagship continental initiatives require firmer implementation benchmarks and stronger inter agency coordination.