On June 5 and 6, researchers from PRIF organized an authors' workshop focusing on local perspectives on peace interventions by African regional organizations such as ECOWAS and the African Union. Scholars from Burkina Faso, Germany, The Gambia, Norway, Sweden, South Africa, and the Central African Republic discussed current research on international and regional interventions in Mali, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic, among others. The focus was on the different perspectives of local populations and their evaluations toward interventions and the question of the legitimacy of the use of force in interventions. In light of increasing social criticism of interventions in Africa - for example in the Sahel region on the one hand, and an increased demand for African-led peace efforts on the other, the exchange also had a high political topicality and relevance. The manuscripts presented are to be published together in a Special Issue.
The workshop was also attended by Sait Matty Jaw, associate researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Peace and Conflict Research and Gilbert Khadiagala, currently visiting professor at PRIF. The workshop is part of the project "Local Perceptions of Regional Interventions: AU and ECOWAS in Burkina Faso and The Gambia" led by Dr. Antonia Witt and funded by the German Research Foundation.