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Multilateral counter-terrorism military interventions in Africa: A comparative analysis of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613750618488832 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Chidzanja, Chikondi |
| author2 | Lamb, Guy |
| author_browse | Chidzanja, Chikondi Lamb, Guy |
| author_facet | Lamb, Guy Chidzanja, Chikondi |
| author_sort | Chidzanja, Chikondi |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135683 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:06.301Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135683 Multilateral counter-terrorism military interventions in Africa: A comparative analysis of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique Chidzanja, Chikondi Lamb, Guy Van der Westhuizen, Janis Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science. Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Chidzanja, C. 2026. Multilateral counter-terrorism military interventions in Africa: A comparative analysis of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/0df9751a-408f-4bef-aae1-f3eb49f0ef3a Multilateral military interventions have been a defining feature of global counterterrorism efforts since the 9/11 Al Queda attacks in the United States. The most prominent interventions have been pursued by the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Iraq and Afghanistan respectively. Nonetheless, Africa is the region that has experienced the most multilateral counterterrorism military interventions in the context of the Global War on Terror, with such operations having been undertaken in Somalia, Libya, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Lake Chad Basin and Mozambique. The literature on multilateral military (counterterrorism) missions is predominantly realist/neorealist in orientation and generally suggests that counterterrorism efforts are rational and pragmatic alliances formed to respond to shared terrorist threats in which states primarily engage in such cooperative missions to promote their security interests. Furthermore, the realist/neorealist literature has emphasised that such militarised counterterrorist approaches are the most appropriate to neutralise transnational terrorist threats. However, data on contemporary armed conflicts in Africa indicates that such interventions have not been consistently effective in resolving these conflicts. Hence, this thesis adopted a Critical Terrorism Studies (CTS) framework with a view to providing a more nuanced examination of multilateral military interventions in Africa. CTS is an approach to studying terrorism grounded in critical theory that challenges mainstream terrorism research by questioning the ontological, epistemological, and ideological assumptions within this literature. This study presents a comparative analysis of multilateral counterterrorism responses in Southern Africa and West Africa, focusing on the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM). The study sought to identify and analyse the key factors that contributed to the shape, form and character of MINUSMA and SAMIM, as well as the impact of these interventions on regional conflicts. Data was drawn from existing literature, policy documents and key informant interviews. Key findings indicated that there was considerable variation in how the host countries cooperated with the multilateral institutions overseeing the military missions, the behaviour of regional hegemons, mission mandates, and budgets. These variations indicate that the establishment of multilateral counterterrorism interventions have been driven by a variety of state interests and have been influenced by both internal and external factors. In line with the CTS framework, it was shown that the militarised focus of such missions has overshadowed long-term political solutions, governance reforms that should address the root causes of conflicts (such as socio-economic factors), which are essential for sustainable peace and the prevention of violent extremism. The study also offers recommendations for relevant stakeholders to enhance the effectiveness of current and future multilateral counterterrorism interventions towards sustainable peace. Doctoral 2026-04-08T05:33:52Z 2026-04-08T05:33:52Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135683 en Stellenbosch University 213 pages : ill. application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Chidzanja, Chikondi Multilateral counter-terrorism military interventions in Africa: A comparative analysis of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique |
| title | Multilateral counter-terrorism military interventions in Africa: A comparative analysis of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique |
| title_full | Multilateral counter-terrorism military interventions in Africa: A comparative analysis of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique |
| title_fullStr | Multilateral counter-terrorism military interventions in Africa: A comparative analysis of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multilateral counter-terrorism military interventions in Africa: A comparative analysis of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique |
| title_short | Multilateral counter-terrorism military interventions in Africa: A comparative analysis of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique |
| title_sort | multilateral counter terrorism military interventions in africa a comparative analysis of the united nations multidimensional integrated stabilization mission in mali and the southern african development community mission in mozambique |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135683 |
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