Many African countries have made remarkable economic and social progress in recent years, but the continent cannot consolidate these gains and improve its international image until its conflicts are settled. To this end, Africa's people and leaders must continue to work with "a new African unity of purpose." This was UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's message during his 19-27 March trip to Africa, his first official visit since taking office in January.
"In recent years, in one country after another – in Somalia, Burundi, Rwanda, Sudan, and now Zaire – Africa has been in crisis. Ordinary Africans – especially women and children – have paid a terrible price for political instability, division and region al hostilities," he told the 26 March summit meeting of the Central Organ of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution in Lomé, Togo. "But we know things are changing," the Secretary-General said, applauding the efforts of 14 African heads of state and government who gathered in Lomé to tackle the situation in the Great Lakes region, particularly Zaire. "We are beginning to end the stereotype of Africa as a continent in crisis, a house divided against itself."
Mr. Annan brought diplomatic pressure to bear on the government and rebels in Zaire to bring them to the negotiating table, and also on the remaining stumbling blocks to peace in Angola. He succeeded in both cases: in Angola, he broke an impasse over the participation of members of the opposition National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) in the unified National Assembly and Government of Unity and National Reconciliation. And at the Lomé summit, Mr. Annan and African leaders secured a commitment from the government of Zaire and the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (ADFL) to the principle of a ceasefire and negotiations.
The Secretary-General has made settling Africa's conflicts a priority because "economic and social development and stability can only follow a stable political climate," he told a group of journalists at UN headquarters on the eve of his departure to Africa. As long as there is war, all the countries of the region suffer from a negative image as "conflict-torn," Mr. Annan said.
This masks the fact that many countries have made very significant economic and social progress in recent years. In this context, he emphasized his support for the UN System-wide Special Initiative on Africa, launched in March 1996 as a decade-long drive to coordinate all UN efforts in support of the continent's basic develop-ment objectives. The Special Initiative "must succeed," he told journalists.
South Africa the first stop
Beginning his African trip in South Africa – where he conferred with President Nelson Mandela and other government officials – the Secretary-General noted that the entire Southern African region will be conflict-free for the first time in many years once Angola is finally at peace.
"Just imagine the possibilities for economic cooperation, for joint projects, whether in the hydro-electric area...or for tourism, that no region would be able to compete with, he said during a live international radio broadcast on his return to New York.
Mr. Annan called attention to the significant contributions made by the UN to the victory over apartheid and the attainment of a democratic South Africa, in an address to the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg on 21 March. "The experience," he said, "helped define the role the world organization could play in resolving seemingly intractable confrontations."
The Secretary-General also commended South Africans for their efforts to promote national reconciliation in Angola – a demonstration of "the same determination" they displayed over the years of the struggle against apartheid. He called on South Africans to focus "those formidable energies" on the global challenges of peace, development and the realization of human rights for all.
During a brief stopover in Windhoek to meet with President Sam Nujoma, Mr. Annan praised Namibia's successes since independence in establishing democratic institutions, respect for human rights and the rule of law – "the basic requirement for a stable society."
Impetus to peace in Angola
Secretary-General Annan then continued on to Angola "to give fresh impetus to the search for peace," he told the Joint Commission in Luanda. The Joint Commission – which includes the Angolan government, UNITA, the UN and the observer countries of the US, the Russian Federation and Portugal – is charged with monitoring the implementation of the UN-brokered Lusaka Protocol of 1994, which, Mr. Annan stated, had "lagged lamentably behind." In Cuito in central Angola, he paid tribute to the thousands of Angolans who welcomed him there for the efforts they had made to reconstruct their lives and their city.
The Secretary-General also met with Mr. Jonas Savimbi, the UNITA leader, at his headquarters in Bailundo in central Angola, and obtained a pledge that final steps would be taken to implement the peace agreement with the government. The delayed arrival in Luanda of UNITA deputies and ministers had prevented the two sides from forming the Government of Unity and National Reconciliation and the unified National Assembly, as called for in the Lusaka agreement.
After talks with President José Eduardo dos Santos in Luanda, Mr. Annan addressed the first session of the Assembly on 25 March – a "moment of transcendental change" in the political life of Angola. "The goal of peace is at last in sight," he said, commending representatives of the 12 political parties, including UNITA, who took their seats at the opening, for demonstrating their commitment to democracy and national reconciliation.
The new government was inaugurated on 11 April, although Mr. Savimbi, who was given the official post of president of Angola's main opposition party, failed to attend the Luanda ceremonies, citing security concerns. The mandate of the UN Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM III), which was to expire on 31 March, has been extended by the Security Council to 30 June.
Before addressing the Assembly, Mr. Annan launched a $228.4 mn humanitarian appeal for international assistance to address Angola's substantial relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction needs (see page 5). The appeal, the Secretary-General said, provides a "material framework" to ensure that the national dialogue which has begun on reconciliation, peace-building and reconstruction will take hold throughout the country.
The crisis in Zaire
From Angola, Mr. Annan traveled to his last stop, Lomé, for the OAU Central Organ summit, where he urged the warring parties in Zaire to come to the negotiating table within the framework of the five-point peace plan endorsed by the Security Council and the OAU.
"Zairians must now move forward on a clear path towards lasting peace and reconstruction based on democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights," the Secretary-General said. "But before that can happen, the fighting must stop and a dialogue must begin among Zairians."
In a communiqué signed at the end of the two-day meeting, representatives of the government of Zaire and Laurent Désiré Kabila's ADFL agreed on the principle of a ceasefire and negotiations. The first direct talks between the two sides began in South Africa a week and a half later with both parties agreeing on "the need for a ceasefire," although no cessation of hostilities has been announced.
In welcoming the talks, the Secretary-General noted that both the ADFL and the government of Zaire had reaffirmed their support for the UN/OAU peace plan and committed themselves to "transparent, fair and inclusive elections to bring about democratic change in Zaire."
"I hope that the political family of Zaire will now work together to build a peaceful future," Mr. Annan said. "If they do so, the world will applaud their courage and the entire region will benefit."