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Commemoration of International Day of Peace Challenges to Conflicts Resolution: The African Experience Keynote address delivered by H.E Mr. Olusegun Akinsanya, mni, Ambassador of Nigeria and Permanent Representative to the AU and UNECA, at the event marking the International Peace Day celebration by the Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development (EIIPD), at Sheraton Addis, on Thursday, September 21st, 2006. Introduction It is a great honor and privilege to be invited by this great Institution, a centre of academic discourse and reflections. I would like to express appreciation to Professor Kinfe Abraham, the “Arrow Head” of this centre of excellence, on whose head lies the leadership and the great achievements of this great Institute. Given the time at my disposal, I have chosen to look briefly at the conflict situation in Africa, with emphasis on the causes and the challenges facing the continent vis-à-vis the efforts being made to prevent, mange and resolve conflicts, in order to bring about the much-desired peace on the continent. As the world marks the “International Peace Day” today, the occasion presents ample opportunities to reflect on the situation and in particular that of the victims of these conflicts: children, women and men in Africa that are suffering and languishing under different forms of conflicts in the continent; many have been maimed, orphaned, scared for life or displaced from their usual places of abode. It could even be said that peace is merely a dream too far for most of them. Indeed, one is tempted to pose the rhetorical question whether Africa, which has become synonymous with conflicts, hunger, diseases and disasters, should be marking the “Peace Day” with the rest of the world, but we need peace and stability of the continent, hence the significance of marking the peace day. Nevertheless, considering the centrality of peace in the socio-economic development of nations and peoples and as a sine qua non for the pursuit of better life and human happiness, the significance of setting aside a day to underscore the importance of Peace, cannot be over-emphasized, more so in Africa where it has become a scarce commodity. Let me now turn to those factors that have robbed much of Africa the desired peace, and by implication, slowed down the socio-economic development of the continent. Nature and causes of conflict in Africa It has been estimated that since the 1960s, Africa has witnessed over 30 armed conflicts, which have claimed close to 10 million lives and costing US$250 billion. Most of theses conflicts were in the form of civil wars and internal rifts. Indeed, the numbers of wars fought between countries are few, and often involved border conflicts. Thus, apart from early inter-State wars like Ethiopian-Eritrea, the Chad-Libya and Nigeria-Chad skirmishes and the proxy wars Apartheid South Africa staged against the frontline states, most of the conflicts in Africa have been within states, and usually along ethnic lines. Historically, the ethnic dimension of the African conflicts could be traced to the partitioning of Africa, in which diverse ethnic nationalities were literally forced to co-habit as part of single nation states. In many cases, the basic differences in culture and aspirations of these peoples were not taken into account and no attempt was made to bridge them. Consequently, these differences remained sources of tension and conflict between the ethnic groups even on attainment of independence. These conflicts are often traced the struggle for power among the political elites of the different ethnic groups. It is also linked to the desire to control resources and amass wealth. Consequently, the politics of exclusion, patronage, cronyism, favoritism, and nepotism, become the order of the day. These often leave segments of the population feeling marginalized, dominated and oppressed. The end result is that the people may be galvanized along ethnic and regional lines against the ruling elite or government. Almost in all cases, the perceived political and economic domination by one segment or ethnic group remains a potential cause of conflict. This perception of marginalization and exclusion coupled with the lack of accountability and transparency in the running of affairs of state, and the attendant corruption, which retarded socio-economic development are among the commonest causes of internal conflicts. Furthermore, the reluctance of the ruling elite to open the political space for competition through regular, free and fair elections, and the intolerance to opposition parties are denied proper channels for political dialogue and negotiations, the urge to resort to armed rebellion to press their case becomes strong. Invariably, when rebellions start they are stoked by interests within and outside the continent. There are also external dimensions to conflicts in Africa. Counties and groups outside the continent were known to have instigated and supported these internal conflicts in anticipation of what they expect to gain, in terms of business opportunities and concessions for exploration of minerals and other natural resources, in the event that group favorably disposed to them comes to power. Others are more concerned by the financial gains they will make by selling arms and ammunition to both the opposing sides. Yet another group of individuals, mostly soldiers of fortune or mercenaries get involved for the money and the adventure, while Africans especially women and money and the adventure, while Africans especially women and children suffer the consequences of war. This explains the collective efforts of leaders in the continent to curb the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) at sub-regional and continental levels and to combat terrorism and mercenaries as well. Rather unfortunately, in a cyclical relationship, the arms and ammunition which are brought in for one conflict or the other end up circulating in the continent and readily find use in starting other conflicts. The mere fact of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the continent in most cases exacerbate ethnic conflicts. It is also common knowledge that during the cold war era, some conflicts in Africa were started and sustained on ideological grounds, with deep-seated divisions amongst the erstwhile homogeneous ethnic groups. However, with the end of the Cold War, and the rise of emerging powers with strategic partnerships with Africa, multi-polarism has been on the ascendancy to check-mate erstwhile bi-polar world or a tendency towards unipolarism. Challenges Africa continuous to face major challenges in its efforts to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts on the continent. Some of theses include:
Current efforts In spite of the challenges listed above, African leaders determined to pursue the twin objectives of peace and socio-economic development in the continent, have found it necessary to transform and reposition the continental body-the African Union. In this connection, the transformation of the OAU to Africa Union (AU) was largely informed by the need to address the challenges of peace, security and socio-economic development of the continent. The new peace and security architecture of the African Union, centered around the core elements of the Peace and Security (PSC), African Standby Force (ASF), Continental Early Warning System and the Panel of the Wise, is aimed at evolving a proactive mechanism for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts in the continent within the overall context of the policy of non-indifference. Equally significant is the renewed focus on developmental and governance issues as exemplified by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) with its African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). The central objective of NEPAD is to ensure the socio-economic development of Africa and ensure that the continent is not left behind in a globalizing world. Parallel to this is the APRM, which has been designed to peer-review and assess the performance of member States and leaders on development issues with lessons to be learnt and shared by all. In essence, the African leaders, through peace and stability on the one hand and furthering regional integration and socio-economic development of the continent on the other. Conclusion The realization of the critical linkage Between socio-economic development and peace, security and stability in the continent, and the growing shift of focus to socio-economic, governance and human rights issues are central to the management of peace in Africa. Peace can be actively sought through policies and programmes that build consensus, promote justice, create opportunity, and provide multilateral frameworks for responding to common challenges. While, the OAU at its time seemed to have, perhaps appropriately, pursued a predominantly political agenda, the AU is increasingly paying greater attention to “bread and butter” issues, the lack or mismanagement of which are among the root causes of conflicts on the African continent. In an increasingly technology-driven world, issues such as poverty, environmental deterioration, infectious diseases, human rights abuses, and the spread of weapons of mass destruction are of concern to all in a global village. It is evident that these problems cannot be addressed within the overwhelmingly competitive framework of power politics, but requires the articulation of new values, norms, and programmes for multilateral action through international dialogue and cooperation. When Governments pool sovereignty in international institutions and collaborate and social movements including youth organizations to provide global public goods, a global peace and prosperity can be realized. I Thank You Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Addis Ababa
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