AU-Civil Society Partnership Key to Africa`s Conflict Prevention and Management
Across Africa, there are an increasing number of Civil Society Organisation (CSOs), that play a very significant role in their various sectors such as HIV and Aids, food security, environment, conflict prevention and gender. These CSOs are indispensable in any endeavour to achieve people-centred development and human security. Attending the 3rd African Union (AU) - Civil Society Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in June 2004, CSOs declared their support for the AU and reaffirmed their commitment to actively work with the AU as fully-fledged partners for the realisation of the objectives and principles of the AU.
Marcel R.D. Chirwa, Senior Research Fellow, APSTA Secretariat, ISS Addis Ababa
Across Africa, there are an increasing number of Civil Society Organisation (CSOs), that play a very significant role in their various sectors such as HIV and Aids, food security, environment, conflict prevention and gender. These CSOs are indispensable in any endeavour to achieve people-centred development and human security. Attending the 3rd African Union (AU) - Civil Society Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in June 2004, CSOs declared their support for the AU and reaffirmed their commitment to actively work with the AU as fully-fledged partners for the realisation of the objectives and principles of the AU.
A lot has been said about the election of the President of Malawi Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika as AU Chairperson on 31 January this year at the AU summit in Addis Ababa. According to Mr. Undule MWAKASUNGULA of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) in Malawi, the election marks an important step in Malawi’s contribution towards the achievement of peace, security, democracy and economic development on the African continent. For it is clear that not all parts of Africa benefit from the peace and stability that Malawians enjoy. The protracted conflicts in the Horn of Africa, Sudan’s Darfur region, and the Great Lakes all stand in sharp contrast to the peace and stability currently prevailing in Malawi, he concludes.
It is good to note that the AU has declared 2010 as the Year of Peace and Security. Any conflict prevention and/or management initiative that stand a chance of succeeding in Africa will require significant input and assistance from the international community, including non-governmental organizations, intra-governmental organizations and wider civil society networks in Africa. When violent conflicts erupt in Africa, many in the international community complain that they had not received enough clear, timely analysis of the situation and of the risks involved and were therefore unable to provide the necessary proactive policy response in a timely manner. The legitimacy of this complaint should be a thing of the past and highly questionable. CSOs are the eyes and ears of the international community as they are in any given country. They are a key to such developments and give the early warning that may be required. So this is an opportune time for CSOs to make a meaningful contribution in this area. Though civil society in general may not fully comprehend the peculiarities and specificities of a conflict, most CSOs in African countries have personnel with necessary expertise and contextual knowledge to recognize an elevated risk of conflict.
Numerous reports from academic institutions, international non-governmental organizations and related humanitarian agencies constantly offer warnings regarding potential conflicts. For instance the recent coup in Niger was predicted long before the time and civil society organization ought to have had knowledge of the impending coup. It is an undeniable fact that Africa has made tremendous progress in many areas such as democracy, economic development and conflict prevention and management. However, the painful truth is that these gains remain fragile. In Niger President Mamadou Tandja who has now been overthrown by the military, dissolved the Constitutional Court and Parliament in his bid for a third term.
Many other presidents are similarly changing their constitutions to suit their egos, which the current AU Chairman must vigorously discourage and prevent. Many structural causes of conflicts in Africa are linked to the relationship between State and its citizens, the legitimacy of the government and its ability to provide basic services. Structural causes of conflict can include inequality, discrimination, breakdown of the rule of law and unequal access to means of production and services such as education and health care.
Another example of a source of conflict is the practice of a form of government based on “ethnic arithmetics” in filling top posts in the government, and maintaining tight reigns on political power. In this regard, there are three main trust building options, sometimes overlapping, where CSOs may help the African leaders in conflict prevention:
- Demonstrate respect for all groups and cultures in public policies of the government;
- Establish formal and informal power sharing arrangements between different political affiliations; and
- Conduct elections according to rules that ensure power-sharing or minimal representation of all ethnic groups.
The BBC programme “World Debate” recently discussed among others the AU Chairman’s vision on key strategic issues of food security, infrastructural development, energy, reducing infant and maternal deaths and challenges of unconstitutional forms of government in Africa. Suffice to say that any meaningful contribution towards the attainment of these goals must never fail to take into consideration the important role that Africa’s CSOs play in development issues. While some level of inequality and discrimination is present in most African countries, not all are experiencing violent conflict or are even likely to experience it in the near future.
Dr Bingu Wa Mutharika, in his acceptance speech on his election as chairperson of the AU did not make specific mention of the civil society-AU partnership, neither civil society–member state partnerships, but he emphasized the need for Africa to work collectively to overcome the myriad of challenges that are facing the African continent. “Although Africa faces enormous challenges, I believe that if we tackle them collectively, rather than individually, we can overcome them,” he said. Africa, should give him the necessary support.
