Briefing Paper

The Hybrid Operation for Darfur A Critical Review of the Concept The Hybrid Operation for Darfur

“The paper presents a critical review of the concept of the mechanism of hybrid operations, as one of the emergent post-Cold War peacekeeping trends. While the experiential and diagnostic features of hybrid operations have previously appeared in some theatres, the dynamics of its use by the AU and the international community in the
conflict in Darfur have raised considerable difficulties. The argument in this paper is that the proposed hybrid AU-UN operation in Darfur is a political construct that makes its practical application in Darfur extremely difficult. It does not prescribe solutions to the critical issues. However, it concludes that the right lessons should be learned from the experiences with the Darfur hybrid operation, for future operations.”