2003 IMTA Proceedings - International Military Testing Association

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gaining influence, their abilities to control rebel movements have diminished. Some of these
groups are sufficiently independent that they have themselves reportedly contracted mercenaries.
It is reported that one-fifth of the global diamond market is supplied by African rebel groups who
at times collaborate with one another independent of State patrons.
Vast quantities of weapons, especially small arms, used to fight wars of independence, civil
wars, and insurgencies remain in circulation and help fuel present conflicts. Many African
Governments simply cannot monitor the movement of small arms in their countries or across
their borders-although some are endeavoring to develop such a capacity. Other African
Governments lack the political will to do so.
Like arms flows, movement of people will continue to have profound repercussions on
African security. Countries often have insufficient infrastructure to deal with the influx and
migrations of people, and conflicts over scarce resources frequently arise. The fact that many of
the refugees camps are situated near the borders, makes it easy for rebels to use them as bases to
launch attacks and regroup, thus exacerbating the situation.
It therefore appears that the challenges to African peace and security defy easy solutions.
Many conflicts are multifaceted and deeply entrenched. They require sustained diplomatic and
military engagement to move towards resolving them. Mediating between the conflicting groups
will feature quite prominently in the whole process of peacekeeping in Africa
Modern peacekeeping has developed beyond the mere monitoring of a cease-fire. Fifty years
of UN peacekeeping thus bring various different disciplines-humanitarian relief, human rights
monitoring and education, the protection of refugees, peacemaking, peace-building, and ontogether
in one holistic mission plan. Modern multidimensional peacekeeping thus includes
elements such as support voluntary disarmament and demobilisation; programmes to rehabilitate
child soldiers and re-introduce ex-combatants into civil life; de-mining; support for national
reconciliation; rebuilding the judicial system; repatriation of refugees; re-introducing civilian
administration; training a new police force, and so on.
The involvement of South Africa
Until recently South Africa resisted considerable international pressure to contribute to
peacekeeping operations in Africa. Instead, it focused on consolidating the transformation
process in the SANDF. But, at the same time, the government realised that South Africa needed
to prepare for a peacekeeping role in Africa. It therefore sent several officers and diplomats all
over the world on peacekeeping courses; introduced peacekeeping training in its staff courses
and at several other layers; and prepared two infantry battalions and other specialised units for
peacekeeping operations.
Simultaneously the government, in close consultation with interest groups in civil society,
developed a White Paper that would guide South Africa’s participation in international
peacekeeping missions. These and various other efforts culminated in Exercise Blue Crane, a
SADC brigade-size peacekeeping exercise that took place in April in 1999. Out of this exercise,
South Africa’s confidence of being able to take up the peace missions role was enforced.
However, it remained trapped with the dilemma of the meaning of the term peacekeeping on an
operational level and the contextual level.
This was due to the fact that the concept of contemporary peacekeeping is replete with
doctrinal ambiguities and defies a straightforward definition. The term in its present form has
become synonymous with any number of international activities designed to resolve or attenuate
45 th Annual Conference of the International Military Testing Association
Pensacola, Florida, 3-6 November 2003