Capacity Building & Knowledge

From Barriers to Bridges: Collection of Official Texts on African Borders from 1963 to 2012

The guidebook “From Barriers to Bridges: Collection of Official Texts on African Borders from 1963 to 2012” assembles official documents issued at the AU-level with a relevance for border management. It features historical founding instruments and legal frameworks of the AUBP (declarations, decisions, policies, reports, communiqués, etc.) and records the AUBP’s practical implementation. Published in 2013 the guidebook outlines the vision and mission of the AUBP, founding instruments, legal frameworks, the implementation of policies, as well as strategic goals and a way forward. In this vein, the publication serves as crucial reference material for exploring the history, mandate, political framework and operation modalities of border management generated in the AU context, but implicating the continental, regional, national as well as local levels of stakeholders.

Delimitation and Demarcation of Borders in Africa: General Issues and Case Studies

Delimitation and Demarcation of Borders in Africa: General Issues and Case Studies is a document containing contributions from several experts published in 2013. The document is the most extensive volume in the guidebook series covering a wide range of border management aspects from the socio-political to the practical realms. The books coverage ranges from the foundational "Imperative of Boundary Delimitation and Demarcation”, to technical aspects, such as “Managing Border Information Systems”, to socio-political concerns, such as “The Factor of Local Affected Populations”. Four case studies emphasize recent practices and the concrete experiences made during the delimitation and demarcation of borders in different regions of the African continent (Algeria, Mali and Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Cameroon, Mozambique). The book moreover contains a number of useful graphs, images, examples of technical forms and tables, as well as a lexicon explaining the terminology of boundary-making, and theoretical appendices, e.g. on map accuracy standards.

In sum, the message of the book is that based on the experiences of the authors, any legal, technical or political problem encountered in boundary delimitation and demarcation can be overcome if states are willing to seek equitable and practical solutions. Even more directly, the very exercise of boundary delimitation and demarcation opens up dialogue between officials in neighboring states, facilitating more open and comfortable relationships. Approaching boundaries as a shared responsibility rather than as a matter of contestation, builds the foundation for continuous cooperation between neighboring administrations in all aspects of border management.

Creation and Operation of Boundary Commissions in Africa: The User’s Guide

Creation and Operation of Boundary Commissions in Africa: The User’s Guide is a document which seeks to support African States in creating national as well as bilateral / mixed boundary commissions that are able to respond to problems linked to the definition of borders, to sustainably prevent conflict and to encourage cross-border cooperation. Boundary commissions are a crucial factor in the development of border zones. The guide outlines the international legal concepts that constitute the framework of a boundary commission’s work. It explores the procedures of how to create a commission, including the general context of its operation, different types of structure and mandates. The guide concludes with recommendations for good practice in the work of national and mixed boundary commissions.

Installation of a Cross-Border Basic service Infrastructure – The User’s Guide

Installation of a Cross-Border Basic service Infrastructure – The User’s Guide is a document depicting the experience of implementing a cross-border basic service infrastructure in the health sector for Burkina Faso and Mali in West Africa. The Cross-Border Health Centre, jointly set-up and used by the border villages Ouarokuy (Burkina Faso) and Wanian (Mali), emerged as an initiative of the African Union Border Programme supporting the two States’ administrations. The guide outlines the various steps of the project: the initiation and preparation, the institutional set-up, constructing and equipping the infrastructure, the growing self-reliance of the actors and the monitoring of the project. As such, this publication serves governments, national institutions, local administrations and partnering border authorities, as well as other actors in the field. The reader will find a suggested method and various tools for the implementation of such a project, as well as a detailed glossary and examples of local conventions. Hence, this innovative guide contributes to the development of similar cross-border projects on the African continent.

Delimitation and Demarcation of Boundaries in Africa: The User’s Guide

Delimitation and Demarcation of Boundaries in Africa: The User’s Guide is a practical guide which aims to assist AU Member States, practitioners and relevant stakeholders in the process of delimitation, demarcation and reaffirmation – from legal aspects and negotiation frameworks to the technical implantation of boundary pillars on the ground. The book contains the following sections:

• Boundaries from an African perspective covering the issues of principles governing boundary-making and border management in Africa, together with the political context
• Delimitation of Boundaries with a step-by-step orientation on the national-level and bilateral preparations for boundary talks, negotiation processes, drafting and entry into force of boundary treaties
• Demarcation of Boundaries with a step-by-step orientation of preparatory works including political consensus, institutional framework, financial resources, personnel training, legal and technical data collection for recovery of boundary line, work plans and technical guidelines, field work, surveying, erection of boundary pillars, reporting and documentation.
• Specific segments on sensitization of border communities, demarcation treaties and maintenance of boundaries, boundary management (e.g. cross-border natural resources), boundary maintenance (e.g. repair and substitution of boundary pillars) and cross-border

African Border Dispute Settlement: The User’s Guide

African Border Dispute Settlement: The User’s Guide is a document presenting a summary of the mechanisms available for the peaceful resolution of boundary disputes published in 2016. The guidebook presents boundary dispute resolution mechanisms in the aim that African states employ them either individually or in combination, to prevent armed conflicts or political tensions among them and adhere to their international law obligations. The “peaceful resolution of conflict among Member states of the African Union” is one of the principles embedded in the constitutive act of the African Union, which has been incorporated to the Niamey convention of 2012 where state parties have reaffirmed their commitment to resolve all boundary disputes by direct negotiations and, failing that, by other peaceful means. Hence the guidebook tries to present the different available mechanisms for the peaceful resolution of boundary disputes, the advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches together with illustration.

River Boundaries Guidebook

River Boundaries Guidebook is a document published in 2021 which was prepared by geographers, lawyers and boundary specialists with practical experience of river boundaries, international rivers and transboundary water resource. Although the guide has been prepared in the context of the African Union Border Programme and is especially relevant to African governments, it draws on experience of river boundaries around the world. Different rivers can have very different characteristics, and the physical and human geography of the landscape through which a river runs can change significantly along its course. Even a single river boundary may therefore call for different delimitation and management approaches in different sections. In addition, every government has different priorities and different financial, technical and human resources. There is therefore no ‘one size fits all’ solution for river boundaries. However, there are certain issues that are relevant to nearly all river boundaries, and this guidebook is designed to assist governments, technicians and scholars in thinking about those issues. It covers the issues physical characteristics and mechanics of different types of river, highlighting how river channels change along their course and over time. It explores whether there are any rules relating to the definition of river boundaries under international law, while at the same time discussing issues that should be addressed in agreements relating to the definition of international boundaries in rivers, including: the location of the boundary in the river channel; the treatment of islands in boundary rivers; and how to deal with changes in the alignment of boundary rivers. Furthermore, the guidebook addresses the use and management of international rivers, both boundary rivers and rivers that cross international boundaries. The guide also includes links to relevant online resources, conventions, agreements and legal cases, plus a list of recommended further reading for those who wish to explore the issues discussed in the guide in greater depth.