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Adedeji, Cisse, others tackle conflicts in Africa
From Charles Coffie Gyamfi,
Abeokuta
SOME eminent Africans gathered at the weekend in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, to fashion out strategies for conflict resolutions in the continent.
Specifically, the purpose of the workshop was to raise an African Conflict Monitoring network, through the yearly publication of Africa Peace and Governance Monitor. The project was put together by the Africa Centre for Development and Strategic Studies (ACDSS).
At the centre, which was set up by Prof. Adebayo Adedeji about eight years ago, were several prominent Africans, including the Executive Secretary of ECOWAS, Mr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the Director-General of OPEC, Mr. Suleiman Al Herbish, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in the Second Republic, Mr. Richard Akinjide (SAN), and Maitre Helene Cisse from Senegal.
Also present were Prof. Gilbert M. Khadiagala (Kenya); Pub Mwesiga Baregu (Zimbabwe); Dr. Kerfala Yansame (Guinnea); Madam Agusta Conchiglig (Angola); and Ambassador Joshua Iroha (Liberia).
Prof. Adedeji, who is the Executive Director of ACDSS, regretted that of the 53-member-states of the African Union, only six; Botswana, Mauritius, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa and Tanzania, had been spared of conflict since the dawn of political independence in the 1960s.
"Even today, and inspite of the contemporary spread of democracy, a sustainable process of peace and good governance is yet to become a reality through out Africa," Adedeji said.
The former Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) executive secretary stated that through research, the centre had been able to classify African countries on the basis of prevailing political conditions, into three categories, namely:
* countries currently faced with armed conflict and strife;
* countries under severe political crisis and turbulence; and
* countries enjoying more or less stable political conditions.
He said: "By the end of the study in 1998, 18 countries were classified as belonging to the first of the three categories, while 11 belonged to the second category and 19 enjoyed more or less stable political condition.
His words: "Undertaking our task of monitoring, we owe a great deal of debt to regional economic communities, such as ECOWAS and SADC and to international institutions like the International Peace Academy which had been engaged in similar efforts."
The conclusion, which ACDESS had since adopted in terms of conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peace-making, according to him, were that:
* the gains achieved in Africa are fragile;
* the potentials for violence remain substantial in existing conflict countries as well as in some post-conflict nations;
* there is conspiracy of silence over imminent conflicts;
* expediency rather than sustainability has become preferred tactics in conflict resolution due, no doubt, to conflict fatigue by both African leaders and the international community;
* donors are in a haste to disengage because of the unwillingness to beat the burden of material and time required to foster sustainable peace and good governance; and
* not only are efforts at peace making focused on warlords rather than on the people the approach to peace building is on the basis of "business-as usual"
To him, a way out of conflicts involves monitoring these indicators. He said: "Let there be no doubt about the imperative of true democracy, which is more than elections and multiparty systems."
He explained that if elections are not transparently organised and conducted, people become violent and conflict ensues.
"Electoral malpractices and conspicuous and flamboyant display of wealth by political leadership amidst horrendous poverty only breeds hatred which in turn exacerbates conflict, violence and lack in extreme cases, the absence of human security", Adedeji stated.
Peace and good governance would continue to elude Africa unless and until it succeeds in mastering its numerous conflicts, Adedeji concluded.
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