From Africa Recovery, Vol.12#2 (November 1998), page 6

Maneuvering for peace in the Congo

African leaders and UN Secretary-General seek end to fighting

By Peter Mwaura

A group of African leaders have been participating in a series of negotiations aimed at reaching a peaceful settlement of the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While the negotiations show there are no quick-fix solutions, the efforts are reshaping the prospects for peace in Africa's most explosive conflict, which has already embroiled eight other countries.

Involving a wide range of players, the negotiations aim to address the security concerns of all interested parties and the fundamental causes of the war, which flared up at the end of July. The war interlocks with other conflicts in the region, and the negotiations have tried to build on regional alliances and political groupings, even trade-offs, in the peace-making process.

Durban 'mini-summit'

The negotiations began in early September with a "mini-summit" headed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in Durban, South Africa. In that meeting, President Nelson Mandela was mandated to take the regional lead in negotiating an end to the conflict in the Congo.

Running parallel to the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the "mini-summit" took the form of a series of individual and collective meetings the UN Secretary-General had with a number of the key players and power-brokers in the region. Among the meetings was a working breakfast for heads of state of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Organization of African Unity (OAU) Secretary-General Salim Ahmed Salim participated and, along with Mr. Annan, played a key role in moving the peace process forward. Mr. Annan and Mr. Salim have since continued to be involved in the peace efforts.

The Durban talks centred on efforts to work out a peaceful solution to the crisis, including a proposal for a peacekeeping force. At that initial stage, both Mr. Salim and Mr. Annan firmly put their weight behind the SADC approach for a negotiated settlement. Mr. Salim said the aim of the talks was to reach a cease-fire agreement that would not only insure the continuation of President Laurent Kabila's government but also bring about democratic reforms.

Upon arrival in South Africa on 1 September, the UN Secretary-General had said it was important to get all participants in the Congo conflict to the negotiating table. He called for a negotiated settlement, which would allow for all foreign troops to be withdrawn, followed by national reconciliation and democratization, including elections. In the plenary of the NAM summit on 2 September, Mr. Annan said amid sustained applause from some 60 heads of state and government: "We Africans must summon the will to resolve our problems by political and not military means, for every day that we fail to do so, the innocent people of this continent pay a terrible price."

Mr. Annan was determined "to find a way of getting everybody to talk" and the presence of the key leaders involved in the fighting in the Congo provided him with a good opportunity to broker peace. President Mandela has since taken the centre stage by initiating and hosting a series of meetings, with Mr. Salim present at all the major ones. The UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy in Africa Mohamed Sahnoun, his Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Fall, and his Special Representative for Angola Issa Diallo took part in the Durban meeting, and Mr. Fall has since attended all the major meetings, as part of the UN delegations, which include military advisers.

The groundbreaking summit of SADC defence and foreign ministers held on 26-27 October in Lusaka was one of the outcomes of the far-reaching efforts made by the regional leaders, the OAU and the UN to reach a peaceful settlement of the Congo crisis. Opening the meeting, Zambia's President Frederick Chiluba said: "Regional leaders are convinced that violence is not the solution to the problem in Congo. The solution lies in a quiet and reasoned settlement of pertinent issues.''

President Chiluba went on to say that the meeting would determine whether Africans had the political will and determination to end the war. "Congo is an African problem which must be resolved by African people using African expertise, experience, resources and acumen,'' he said.

Although the meeting failed to reach a cease-fire agreement, it facilitated formal consultations with the rebel leaders, who until then had been excluded, despite their presence at the second summit of regional leaders held on 6 September in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The Lusaka meeting also brought out the complexity of agreeing on a cease-fire. While eight countries are reportedly actively involved in the fighting, only three -- Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia -- had publicly admitted to it. Obviously, parties cannot sign a cease-fire unless they first admit they are involved in the fighting. Thus the meeting was unable to broker a cease-fire, although it produced a "draft cease-fire accord" and a "mechanism" for rebel involvement in the implementation of a cease-fire. It also asked President Chiluba, designated as a "neutral chairman" by SADC, to continue regional consultations on how to end the war.

Rwanda was specifically accused by some participants of obstructing a cease-fire agreement by refusing to admit it was involved in the fighting. But 10 days later, in a meeting with President Mandela in Pretoria, Rwandan Vice-President Paul Kagame acknowledged that his troops were helping the rebels in the Congo, thus paving the way for a possible cease-fire. "It is a welcome move and it will help push the peace process forward," President Chiluba said.

The Congo crisis has the potential of becoming a conflagration that could engulf all of Central Africa. Moreover, as Mr. Salim said at the Lusaka meeting, if the confrontation is not ended, it would jeopardize efforts being made to find solutions to the continent's other critical problems and would represent another collective indictment on Africans.

The regional leaders' approach has been reinforced by the UN Security Council, which on 22 October called for "an immediate cease-fire, the withdrawal of all foreign forces and the initiation of a peaceful process of political dialogue with a view to national reconciliation." Furthermore, the Council stressed the urgency of addressing humanitarian needs and ending human rights violations in the affected areas.

The Council reiterated the call on 5 November and emphasized the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Congo and other states in the region. In a statement, Council President Peter Burleigh of the US stressed that no sustainable solution can be achieved through military means. "Council members welcome regional efforts to seek a peaceful solution to this conflict, including the important steps taken in Lusaka to involve all parties in the mediation talks," he said.

In addition, the US played a supportive role in the African peace efforts. US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Susan Rice undertook a week-long visit to Africa from 27 October, during which she held talks with some of the key players in the negotiations, including the leaders of Congo, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Uganda.

The search for an African-brokered peace has also brought to the fore the intimate relationship between social justice, material well-being and peace. Mr. Salim, for example, told the Security Council on 24 September that international efforts to promote peace and stability should not ignore the magnitude of the socio-economic problems confronting Africa.

Mr. Annan himself has emphasized the importance of social and economic equity in the quest for a durable peace. His widely acclaimed report, The Causes of Conflict and the Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa, has fully articulated a holistic approach to peace building in Africa.

In a meeting with his "think tank" of high-level personalities on African development on 15 October, he said, "I strongly believe that long-term solutions to conflict situations in Africa require a comprehensive approach linking peace, security, good governance, respect for human rights and the rule of law, and sustainable development."

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