ABSTRACT
The developments in a new world economic order that was anchored on globalization and market competition did not bode well for the economies of African States emerging from colonialism. In order to confront these critical challenges to the continent, it was necessary to make close linkage between the requirements for economic development and the demands for peace and security. The creation of the African Union was orchestrated by the desire to safe the peoples of Africa from the scourges of conflicts, poverty, underdevelopment, diseases, and the challenges to integration. The Organization of African Unity's (OAU) efforts to address the scourge of conflicts in the continent took a turning point in June 1993, when the 29th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, held in Cairo, Egypt, adopted a declaration establishing, within the OAU, a Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution.
