State Resilience and Conflict Prevention: The Case of Mali

ABSTRACT: The African region has long been plagued by conflicts exacerbated by various factors that undermine peace and stability. This paper explores the critical area of conflict prevention and examines how current measures perceive and address the imperative of strengthening states. It is widely recognized that state resilience is a key factor in achieving lasting peace. To illustrate this, the paper uses Mali as a case study to assess the efforts of the African Union and other entities in bolstering state resilience to prevent further violence. The study examines the role of state resilience in conflict prevention and how peace missions in Mali, such as African Union Mission for Mali and the Sahel (MISAHEL), have integrated state resilience into their conflict prevention strategies. The study finds that while the mandate of peace missions in Mali includes references to strengthening the state, in practice, these efforts are subordinated to an emphasis on security. This dominance of security is driven by the prioritization of short-term stabilization over structural transformation, which is often influenced by external geopolitics and immediate threats. As a result, efforts to strengthen governance, institutional legitimacy, and inclusive development are sidelined. This imbalance undermines the sustainability of peace, reinforcing the very fragilities they aim to address and leaving the state vulnerable to recurring cycles of instability.