African leadership and the role of the presidency in African conflicts : a case study of Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: As a wave of political uprisings swept across North Africa since January 2011, ridding the regionof longstanding autocratic leaders, presidents in Sub-Saharan Africa were still imprisoningopposition leaders, deploying military and police to clamp down on protest, and promising theircitizens change - all this in a bid to avoid being ousted by their own people.Leadership has long been the main constraint on political and economic progress in Africa. Thisstudy analyses African leadership and especially the role of the presidency as a cause of conflictand instability in Africa.The modern-day African president might no longer be the absolute autocrat from yesteryear, buthe still rules with awesome power and vast state resources at his disposal. African leaders haveassumed an imperial character; many regard themselves as largely above the law; accountable tono one and entitled to remain in power or to pass the sceptre to their offspring. Due to this ratherimperial character, conflict has been inevitable in Africa.As a theoretical basis the study proposes a framework for analysing leaders' behavioural patternsthat contribute to conflict and instability domestically as well as regionally. Six relevantbehavioural patterns are identified: political deprivation, patronage and clientelism,personalisation of power, use of the military, staying to office, underdevelopment and conflict.Additionally, and as a case study, this framework is applied to Uganda's president YoweriMuseveni. Each of the six behavioural patterns are analysed and evaluated in relation toMuseveni's rule of the past 25 years. Applying the framework demonstrates how Musevenicontributed to conflict across the region in Somalia, Sudan, Kenya and the Democratic Republicof the Congo (DRC). Museveni is found to be a power point man in the region and his imperialnature is likely to contribute to future instability and conflict in Uganda and the Great Lakesregion.The study also addresses the genesis of the imperial African leader and investigates why, despitewaves of democratisation and the expulsion of a few autocratic rulers in Africa in the late 1990s,the imperial character still persist today. Constitutional limitations are found to be one of the major reasons why absolute powers end up being vested in the hands of the president. Lack ofproper separation of powers, and a culture conducive to suppressing the legislature andparliamentary role, provides additional reasons for this phenomenon.Furthermore, both internationally and locally, the leadership deficit in Africa is drawingcontinuing attention and even funding. However, in order for Africa to make progress ineradicating poor and unaccountable leadership, local initiatives should be further encouraged.The African Union Peer Review Mechanism and the African Charter on Elections, Democracyand Governance are discussed as two African initiatives; also the Mo Ibrahim Index and Prizeare evaluated. Although all three these initiatives are admirable in theory, they have failed todeliver because real commitment to action is lacking in most African countries.A speedy and conclusive solution to the problem seems unlikely because of the complex natureof humans and their environment. Thus, the aim of this study is to make a contribution to thescholarly body of work regarding the causes of African conflict, focusing on the Africanpresidency as one cause of such conflict in Africa.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University