In a new three-part video series, researchers Angela Muvumba Sellström and Tefesehet Hailu explore how peace support operations in Africa are evolving in response to shifting conflict dynamics and growing calls for African ownership.

Filmed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the series brings together perspectives from experts working at the African Union and partner organisations to examine how contemporary conflicts – often transnational, fragmented and involving non-state armed groups – challenge the principles that traditionally guided international peacekeeping. As these conditions have changed, so too have the approaches to managing and resolving conflict on the continent.

Across the three episodes, the series looks at the emergence of Africa-led peace support operations, highlighting their comparative advantages as well as the constraints they face. These include questions of legitimacy, operational capacity, and the increasing reliance on more robust forms of engagement, including enforcement and stabilisation. The series also addresses the persistent challenge of financing, where missions continue to depend on a patchwork of funding mechanisms, raising concerns about sustainability and long-term effectiveness.

By tracing both the evolution and the current realities of peace support in Africa, the series highlights that there is no single model for future operations. Instead, African-led missions are shaped by a combination of political ambition, institutional development, and practical constraints.

Together, the three episodes offer a closer look at how peace operations are being redefined – and what this means for the future of peace and security on the African continent.