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Note: This document is from the archive of the Africa Policy E-Journal, published by the Africa Policy Information Center (APIC) from 1995 to 2001 and by Africa Action from 2001 to 2003. APIC was merged into Africa Action in 2001. Please note that many outdated links in this archived document may not work.

Africa: Conflict Watch, 2
Date distributed (ymd): 970221
Document reposted by APIC

CONFLICT WATCH - PILOT EDITION

Note: An archive of Inter Press Service Africa stories is available on the IPS Web site (http://www.ips.org). The current issue of Conflict Watch is available at http://www.ips.org/watch/.

For more information on the availability of Conflict Watch by e-mail or in print, please contact IPS Africa headquarters in Harare ([email protected] or [email protected]).

Selected excerpts in this posting include a report on a November conference in Addis Ababa, and a variety of other announcements on NGO initiatives.

CREATING AN EFFECTIVE INTERFACE BETWEEN CIVIL SOCIETY, THE OAU AND GOVERNMENTS IN AFRICA: A CONFERENCE REPORT (EXCERPTS)

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 18-20 November 1996

In the midst of dramatic developments in eastern Zaire, the return of hundreds of thousands of refugees to Rwanda, and other critical events in the continent, representatives of the OAU member states and secretariat, UN agencies, regional and sub-regional institutions, international and African non-governmental organisations met at the Africa Hall, UNECA, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 18 to 20 November 1996.

BRIEF BACKGROUND

Planned as a follow-up to previous gatherings in the continent co-sponsored by International Alert, in particular, the 1994 "Challenge for Peacemaking in Africa," and the 1995 Focal Points Workshop, "Regional Mechanisms for Early Warning and Preventive Diplomacy in Africa," and benefiting from the insights of other relevant gatherings in the continent, this conference had as its theme: "Creating an Effective Interface Between Civil Society, the OAU and Governments in Africa".

Its focus was to reflect on the practice of peace, bringing together people engaged on constructive programmes on the ground, willing to share their experience and insights, and ready to collaborate on common action urgently required by historic developments taking place in the continent.

Given the OAU's efforts to work with NGOs on conflict prevention and peace-building programmes in Africa, as well as the stress on supportive collaboration conveyed by the UN Secretary-General's Special Initiative on Africa, the conference spelled out ways to enhance complementarity of efforts as well as forge lasting partnerships to meet the challenge of peace in troubled conflict areas.

In this spirit, the conference organisers, namely, the OAU, the Inter-Africa Group (IAG), ACCORD-South Africa, and International Alert (IA) identified the following overall conference objectives:

• to identify mechanisms for building and extending the level of co-operation and interaction between civil society organisations and the OAU as well as governments in Africa; - to provide an opportunity for a review and analysis of past and ongoing measures for collaboration between governmental and non-governmental actors, in order to forge healthy partnerships for the future; - to develop and enhance, through the process of dialogue, creative and participatory approaches to the task of strengthening conflict resolution capabilities in Africa; - to strengthen existing networks and build new coalitions for peace in Africa.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION

I OAU/NGO Consultative Mechanism

To work towards the creation of regular consultative mechanisms between non-governmental organisations and the OAU and member states so as to better collaborate in the pursuit of sustainable peace in areas of armed conflict;

With this end in view, and in order to advance the relationship and co-operation between peace-related non-governmental organisations and the OAU through its Conflict Management Division by means of regular consultations;

An interim consultative committee of NGOs, working provisionally for a period of between 18 months and 24 months, will be formed to build this co-operative relationship, recognising different competencies as well as the importance of complementarity and mutual respect;

To serve temporarily as its focal point in Addis Ababa where the OAU is based, the IAG will provide the secretariat which will be entrusted with the day-to-day activities of the consortium in the interim. Meanwhile consultations will be held in each sub-region of Africa to initiate a more representative consultative group. The existing steering committee will be entrusted with the responsibility of expanding the consultative group to between 11 and 15 members;

During this interim period, efforts will be made to incorporate approaches regarding mutually-beneficial access to information and documentation on peace issues, and participation in working groups based on well-established international procedures and practices;

II Strategic Peace Partnerships, Network-Building and Support

Participants identified related peace issues that could be advanced by both NGOs and the OAU, further developed by the consortium of NGOs collectively and singly, and proposed for support by the OAU and member states where applicable. This resulted in the following proposals:

1. Share experiences of community-based peacemaking and encourage community efforts that develop spaces for dialogue;
2. Support people-initiated "zones of peace" in areas of conflict, in schools and places of worship to generate public pressure for peace, to create peace constituencies and to provide social spaces for dialogue and non-violent action;
3. Support, in addition, "corridors of tranquility" and freedom of movement in areas of conflict to ensure the safety and security of civilian populations, especially the most vulnerable;
4. Explore multi-track approaches in peacemaking, incorporating the contribution of indigenous facilitators/mediators, elders and eminent persons, as well as traditional African approaches/resources to enhance negotiated efforts for peace in the continent;
5. Employ expertise and skills in Africa to develop peace-related or conflict resolution capacities of potential peace advocates and communities, representatives of parties involved in conflict, and representatives of the OAU central organ or the Conflict Management Division;
6. Develop consultative mechanisms between regional inter-governmental groups/institutions and NGOs relevant to peace efforts on the regional and sub-regional levels;
7. Support early warning/action networks to more effectively respond to conflict situations, in a timely and collaborative manner;
8. Recognise the importance of women as witnesses, bridges and advocates for peace, inviting their vital contribution wherever peace efforts are required in critical areas of conflict;
9. Devise accelerated youth programmes leading to peace, involving young people in socio-economic and joint reconstruction efforts, in peace campaigns, in the rehabilitation of former child soldiers, and in meaningful participation in school, work and community life;
10. Harness the potential of children in creating and advancing peace in homes, communities and schools, recognising that peace begins in the hearts and minds of children who will build a peaceful future different from the past;
11. Reclaim the culture of peace which has been lost in areas of protracted conflict, and develop common strategies for peace through joint efforts between civil society, NGOs and the OAU and member states, as well as UNESCO's Culture of Peace programme;
12. Ensure respect for the human person and, in particular, underscore the principles of human rights and international humanitarian law that should be upheld by all, including combatant parties to internal armed conflicts;
13. Recognise the impact of war on the environment and encourage common efforts to prevent its degradation for the sake of future generations;
14. Encourage peace education programmes in communities, in schools, in the mass media, and recognise the role of academics and the religious, among others, to sensitise people to their right to peace and their responsibilities to sustain it;
15. Urge NGOs and Governments to commit themselves to provide correct and sufficient information to media in order to prevent incorrect information and analysis for action;
16. Invoke the African Charter on Human and People's Rights more frequently to bolster joint preventive diplomacy initiatives;
17. Support calls by the NGO community for an African Human Rights Court/Tribunal to address the issue of impunity;
18. Support the call for the total ban on anti-personnel mines and the relevant OAU resolution, and work towards the declaration of Africa as an "anti-personnel mines-free zone."

For full text of the report please contact Ed Garcia, International Alert, 1 Glyn Street, London SE11 5HT, UK. Tel: +44 171 793 8383 Fax: +44 171 793 7975 E-Mail: [email protected]

Noticeboard (excerpts)

Events & Contacts

• The Centre for Conflict Resolution (Cencor) in Accra held a workshop on Capacity Building for Traditional Rulers on Conflict Resolution in Kumasi Ghana. 32 paramount chiefs attended, they issued the Kumasi Declaration, which among other things calls for more resources to be provided for traditional rulers to play an effective role in conflict resolution. A conflict map of Ghana link to an Early Warning network is to be instituted at the Cencor in Accra. Details contact: General (Rtd) Arnold Quianoo, Centre for Conflict Resolution, Tel: 00-233-21-773049

• Following a 3-day workshop in the Rwandese capital, Kigali, in October. East and Central African NGOs set up a Working Party to discuss the current political crisis in the region. Details Contact: Dr Tajudeen Abdul Raheem, Pan African Movement, Kampala, Tel: 00-2546-41-266 012.

• A Pan-African conference on 'Peace, Gender and Development' is to be held in Kigali, Rwanda from 1-3 March 1997. It plans to bring together women from all over the continent to focus on ways of promoting peace in the Great Lakes region, Africa, and the rest of the world. Details contact: Christine Nyakamwe, Conference Secretary-General, BP 969 Kigali, Rwanda. Tel: +250-75113 Fax: +250-75719.

• Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA) will from Feb 21st-Mar - 14th 1997 convene the first African Women's Leadership Institute In Kampala, Uganda. The goal is to encourage and train significant numbers of young women for leadership positions that will ultimately promote a progressive African women's development agenda. Details contact: Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Director, Akina Mama wa Afrika, 4 Wild Court, London WC2B 4AU, Tel: 171-405-0678 Fax: 171-831-3947, E-mail:[email protected]

• The European Union has produced a paper entitled The European Union and the issue of conflicts in Africa: Peace-building, Conflict prevention, and beyond. It was subjected to discussion in Brussels in October by European-based NGOs. For a copy of the paper contact: North-South Centre, Lisbon, Portugal. Tel: 351-1-1-352-4954 Fax: 351-1-353 1329/352 4966 -Mail: [email protected] Or Hassan Ba, Synergies Afrique, Geneva, Tel: 41-22-788-8586 E-Mail: [email protected]

• The Institute of Economic Affairs in Ghana organised a workshop on Conflict Management in Sub-Saharan Africa in September. For a copy of the workshop report contact: Dr Agyeman Badu, IEA, Accra, Tel: 44-233-21-779568.

Recent Publications

• The Conflict in Sierra Leone by the United Kingdom. Parliamentary Human Rights Group (Sept. 1996). It documents human rights abuses in the 5 year old civil war. For copies contact: Lord Eric Avebury, Chair PHRG, House of Lords, London SW1A - 0AA. Tel: 44-171-274-4617 Fax: 44-171-738-7864. E-mail: [email protected]
• Africa: A Handbook on Conflicts, edited by Napoleon Abdulai and Thomas Jaye. It will contain the A-Z on conflict terminology, a short history of conflicts in Africa; a list of Africa-based NGOs and inter-governmental organisations working on conflicts, and a section on what is an early warning system. For details contact: Thomas Jaye, Dept. of International Politics, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Penglais, Cerelgian, SY23-3DA, England or Napoleon Abdulai, International Alert. E-mail:[email protected].
• African World Review, a London based pan-african journal is calling for papers on education, SAP, health, transition to democracy and conflicts and women for its 1997 editions. Contact: Ama Biney, 5 Westminister Bridge Road, London SE1-7XW, Tel: 44-171-620-1430/Fax: 620-1431