African interventionist states

Examining the phenomenon of conflict in Africa, this text addresses situations where African states and African military intervene in conflicts either in neighbouring states or beyond.

While this trend has been widely observed, this text fills a gap in the literature for in-depth research that deals with such issues.

It aims to break new ground in identifying key issues, actors and actions, and includes analysis of military capacities of African states and the way in which armies are used, including the increasing role of private security companies and mercenaries.

The changing attitudes among members of the OAU are examined, in particular the increasing acceptance of interventionism and the blurring of boundaries.

The most significant cases of intervention are examined, together with less well-documented examples as Lesotho and Guinea-Bissau.