ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a better understanding of the institutional, organisational, bureaucratic, and legal security arrangements operating in Francophone African countries in order to highlight their patterns and to provide an overview of the actors, structuresm and how security systems function. The issue at stake is to highlight the kind of mechanisms and frameworks prevailing in francophone countries and the specific considerations to be taken into account in the context of peace operations conducted in francophone environments. The chapter provides a performance rating neither of francophone security apparatus nor to define performance benchmarks against which such security apparatuses should be systematically assessed. Rather, it states that taking into consideration the specific organisational structures and management processes prevailing within Francophone African security systems is a sine qua non condition to ensure the success of peacekeeping and peace consolidation missions in Francophone Africa. Security sector reform (SSR) focused research capabilities of any importance that can be identified in Francophone Africa.
