From Africa Recovery, Vol.17 #1 (May 2003), page 3

Africa seeks own solutions to conflict

Burundi, Central African Republic and Côte d'Ivoire on peace agenda

By Gumisai Mutume

In a further demonstration of increasing African resolve to tackle the continent's numerous conflicts, South Africa, Ethiopia and Mozambique announced in early April that they are ready to deploy 3,500 troops for an African peacekeeping mission to the war-torn East African country of Burundi.

South African President Thabo Mbeki noted that his country's contribution is in the spirit of the New Partnership for Africa's Development, the continent's new development framework. Announcing Ethiopia's troop contributions, Defence Minister Abadula Gemeda said his country would "do everything possible to bring about lasting peace in Burundi."

The countries first pledged to assist the Burundi mission at an extraordinary summit of the newly constituted African Union (AU), in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in February. Burundi's decade-long civil war, which has taken some 200,000 lives, was one of several conflicts that came under scrutiny. The summit of 28 heads of state and six prime ministers noted that part of the solution to the continent's conflicts lies in granting the AU significantly more powers than its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity, which was often criticized as too bureaucratic and ineffective in preventing or settling wars.

Photo : ©UN / Evan Schneider

The summit participants resolved to ratify as soon as possible a protocol creating a Peace and Security Council within the AU. Often referred to as the African equivalent of the UN Security Council, it would consist of 15 countries elected in rotation and eventually be able to draw on a stand-by African military force. An early warning mechanism would help the Council to anticipate and prevent conflicts before they become full-blown wars. The Council also would be authorized to help in post-war reconstruction.

Once set up, it would have powers to mediate conflicts and "institute sanctions whenever an unconstitutional change of government takes place," notes the Peace and Security Council protocol. In Addis Ababa, leader after leader stressed the need for reinvigorated efforts to end wars in Africa. Numerous conflicts, including those in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Sudan, formed part of the agenda of the meeting.

Central Africa takeover

Just a few weeks after the AU summit, an unfolding crisis in the Central African Republic came to a head on 15 March when rebel leader François Bozizé seized power and declared himself head of state. General Bozizé, a former army chief-of-staff, had previously launched an unsuccessful bid for power in October 2002, but was repelled by Libyan troops guarding then president Ange-Félix Patassé. The Libyans withdrew earlier this year and were replaced by 300 troops from the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States, who were not in a position to prevent the March takeover.

While thousands of residents of the capital, Bangui, turned out in support of the coup, the UN Security Council and the AU swiftly and strongly condemned it. The Security Council called on the country's leaders to begin a "genuine, political, all-inclusive dialogue ... and ensure the early restoration of democracy."

General Bozizé proceeded to appoint a 28-member transitional government with members from all political parties and civil society. His government announced a transitional period of one to three years, leading to elections.

Shaky peace in Côte d'Ivoire

Attention is now also focused on Côte d'Ivoire. If a peace agreement signed in January fails to hold, war could spill over into neighbouring countries, further aggravating the conflict's regional impact.

The civil war that erupted in Côte d'Ivoire in September 2002 following an army mutiny has created a major humanitarian crisis in West Africa, with hundreds of thousands of people, especially migrants from neighbouring countries, forced to flee in the wake of growing xenophobic attacks. Since Côte d'Ivoire is a major regional economic hub, accounting for some 40 per cent of the gross domestic product of Francophone West Africa, the conflict has already seriously disrupted trade and other economic activities in several of its neighbours.

Under the terms of the January peace accord, a government of national unity was established. It includes members of the ruling party of President Laurent Gbagbo, the main rebel group (the Côte d'Ivoire Patriotic Movement) and other political parties and rebel forces.

But the peace remains shaky. There have been disagreements over the distribution of cabinet posts and the January peace accord was greeted by a week of anti-French and anti-rebel demonstrations in parts of the country. Only on 3 April was the full coalition cabinet able to meet.

"The process is still fragile and must be consolidated," UN Secretary General Kofi Annan told heads of state at the Paris conference on Côte d'Ivoire in January. The success of the peace agreement, he noted, depends to a large extent "on the adoption of measures to build trust and confidence between the parties."

A number of UN officials have condemned the human rights abuses perpetrated by both sides in the conflict, including the use of death squads. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello warned in December that if they escape the reach of national law, the International Criminal Court would still hold perpetrators responsible for their actions. He warned especially against the use of the media to propagate xenophobia and promote hate crimes. The international court, he warned, was also capable of presiding over "the human rights violations of journalists."

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