Alex Ekwueme Foundation

THE AFRICA PEACE INITIATIVE

“Let us promise to make peace not just a priority, but a passion. Let us pledge to do more, wherever we are in whatever way we can, to make every day a day of peace.” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

It was recorded that the United Nations Security Council deployed a record number of peacekeepers to 19 peace operations around the world in 2007. At present, more than 100,000 blue berets and civilian staff are serving in the field to build and keep peace around the world.

In Africa, most countries within the continent have witnessed a fair share of violent conflict since independence. In the last decade, the political landscape in Africa has changed from period of military dictatorship and sits tight rulers towards more democratic order and rule of law. Increasingly, African states have renounced the culture of military and single party rule and presidency for life. Multiparty democracy, new political and constitutional dispensations are now a common practice. Many African states have limited the presidential terms of office. African leaders are now relinquishing power through democratic elections. A new leadership style and culture are gradually emerging. The changes in political trends can be explained by three main reasons. The first is the decision of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) not to accept any unconstitutional change of government in member countries at its 36th Summit in Algiers, Algeria (1999). This decision was one of the major principles for the formation of the African Union. The second trend is that the proliferation of inter-state conflicts, which also characterized African politics in the post-independence period, principally, as a result of colonial demarcation of African boundaries, is also residual. The third trend marks a new wave of democracy in Africa in which democratic processes are being consolidated. There is increased political awareness and education. There is greater respect for the rule of law and the public are holding their leaders to account for their stewardship.

In spite of these welcome trends, positive political, social and economic changes within the African continent have been limited and sometimes undermined by a new generation of conflicts within a number of African States. These conflicts were largely associated with the structure and nature of power in a number of African states, unequal distribution of resources and wealth as well as the scope of social stratification along ethnic lines inherited from colonial regimes.

During the period of colonialism, the nature of power exercised by the colonial masters was that of absolute royalty to the colonial government. Any act of resistance or radical opinion was seen as insubordination and treated as treason. The structure of government in most of the colonial government was largely the parliamentary/unitary system which concentrates the power to the centre and the winner takes all. In the Post-independence African States, the political elites, who were beneficiary of the colonial political tutelage continued to exercise absolute power in government. The situation has led to some politician taking the government as their birth-right and the development of the “ruling class”. The concept of viable opposition is alien and opposition party or leaders are seen as enemies of the state and felons.

The unequal distribution of resources and wealth relates to the structure and nature of power and further threatens the entrenchment of viable democracy in Africa. The economic situation in most of the African countries is such that the rich gets richer while the poor gets poorer. This appears to support the concept of “winner takes all” where the winner is always the rich. Most African countries are among the poorest in the world. Even with the abundance of rich mineral resources, corruption and nepotism deprive the people of any significant improvement in their socio-economic condition. The deprivation and poverty breeds militancy in most African States. Most recently, there was the disturbances in South Africa involving the young black inner city unemployed population who took their grievances against the immigrants. The Niger Delta region of Nigeria has also seen the increase of militancy against the foreign oil companies due to environmental degradation and lack of infrastructural development of the area.

The contribution of ethnicity and tribalism to the political process in most African countries cannot be overemphasised. The fear of political domination of one ethnic group against the other has continued to determine the appointment of people into different positions in government. In Nigeria, the Federal Character Commission was set up to strengthen the federal system and ensure ethnic balance in government business. The political class in Nigeria has adopted the concept of “rotation”. This simply means that power rotates from one ethnic group to the other within Nigeria and from one tribe or dialect to another within the local and state government. We still remember the circumstances leading to violent conflict in Rwanda and the role of ethnicity in the genocide that followed. Most recently, there was tension in Kenya following their last general election which has ethnic sentiments attached to the candidates.

Mechanisms for peace in Africa

The attainment of viable democracy is built on ideologies while effective government is built by people appointed into position on merit rather than old school ties or contacts. With all the above short comings, it is important to highlight some of the policies and programmes through which African countries have continue their march towards greater multi-party democracy, rule of law, good governance and maintenance of peace and stability.

The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) established the Commission for Mediation, Conciliation and Arbitration which subsequently became the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution. These Agencies tried to negotiate peace and promote unity among African countries. With the creation of the Africa Union (AU), the Mechanism was replaced by the Peace and Security Council, with the objective of promoting peace and find solutions to the scourge of conflicts in Africa. As the continent’s democratization process continues to take root, concerted efforts are being deployed to avoid the politics of exclusion and “winner takes all” while efforts at the inculcation of a culture of political tolerance and inclusion in Africa are intensified. The transition from the OAU to the AU and the elaboration of New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) initiative are a clear manifestation of the commitment of the leadership in Africa to the democratization of African societies. It also signifies the determination and commitment of African leaders to promote peace, security and sustainable development on the continent. NEPAD was designed to address the current challenges facing the African continent. Issues such as the escalating poverty levels, underdevelopment and the continued marginalisation of Africa needed a new radical intervention, spearheaded by African leaders, to develop a new Vision that would guarantee Africa’s Renewal and this is the basis for the formation of NEPAD.

Apart from the commitment of the government, non governmental organisations, international agencies and notable individuals have constituted a major resource for Peace Initiatives in Africa. The Africa Forum was founded as an informal network of former African Heads of State and Government and other African leaders. The Forum was constituted to support the implementation of the broad objectives of the African Union (AU) and its initiatives including NEPAD at national, sub-regional and regional levels. With the specific functions of advocacy and think tanking, the Africa Forum helps harness the experience, moral authority and good offices of the former African Heads of State and Government and other African leaders with the view to assisting the advancement Africa’s socio-economic development and maintenance of peace.

The former British Prime Minister, Rt Hon. Tony Blair in addressing the G8 Summit at Gleneagles in 2005 state that the only people that can help Africa are African themselves. It is therefore imperative for African countries to look at setting up more permanent structure for the articulation of ideas and research programmes aimed at sustaining peace and development in Africa.

Nigeria has been at the fore front of peace missions in both the ECOWAS sub region and the African continent in general. The former Vice President of Nigeria, Dr Alex Ekwueme was the leader of the team assembled by the United States National Democratic Institute (NDI) for pre-election monitoring for the parliamentary election in Zimbabwe in 2000. He was the leader of the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) observer team to the Tanzanian Presidential and Parliamentary election in 2000. Ekwueme also co-led the 28 member NDI/Carter Centre sponsored Observer Team to the Liberian Presidential run-off election in 2005.

As Ambassador Extraordinary and plenipotentiary, Raph Uwechue was the Special Presidential Envoy on Conflict Resolution in Africa to the Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo. In this capacity, he brought his international experience and connections, immense knowledge and passion for Africa, to bear on his assignment. He played a key role in the peaceful settlement of the decade-long Sierra Leonean civil war, which culminated in free and fair elections in 2002. In addition to his responsibilities as President Obasanjo’s envoy on Conflict Resolution in Africa, Uwechue also heads the ECOWAS Mission in Cote d’Ivoire, charged with coordinating and monitoring peacekeeping operations towards the resolution of the crisis in that country. He was appointed chairman of the Accra III International Monitoring Group, which reported regularly on the situation in Cote d’Ivoire to the ECOWAS Authority, the African Union and the United Nations.

General Martin Luther Agwai has been the Force Commander of the African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operations in Darfur. He was the former Deputy Military Adviser to the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations was Deputy Commander of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) from November 2000 to November 2002.

Most recently, it has been reported that General Yakubu Gowon was appointed the leader of the ECOWAS election monitoring team for the Zimbabwe Presidential run-off election. General Chikadibia Isaac Obiakor was recently named as the United Nations Military Adviser. He is the most senior military officer at the UN headquarters in New York. His responsibility is to provide advice on all military issues in the context of UN peacekeeping, which now deploys more than 110,000 men and women in conflict zones worldwide. Prior to taking up his new post, General Obiakor was Force Commander of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), which helped to stabilize the West African nation since its emergence from a brutal civil war and assisted in the conduct of democratic elections. The Mission also carried out a large disarmament programme. General Obiakor also served as the Commander of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) Artillery Brigade in Liberia in 1996 and 1997 and also as its chief coordinator of the country’s elections.

Nigeria has been described as the most populous black nation in the world (the so called giant of Africa). It has been reported that Nigeria is the fourth largest contributor of military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping operations. It is therefore important that Nigeria continues to play leading role in UN and African politics especially around peace keeping, security and good governance. In her paper entitled “Evidence and analysis: overview paper on strengthening conflict prevention” prepared for the Commission for Africa, Claire Hickson concluded that the humanitarian and developmental cost of violent conflict in Africa is so high that without strong effort towards prevention, development and poverty reduction goals will not be achieved or sustained. It is on this basis that the Peace Initiatives of Alex Ekwueme Foundation should be seen as the synopsis of an idea whose time is now. The Foundation which was primarily set up to promote the values, ideals and principles of Dr Alex Ekwueme has the Peace Institute as its flagship project. It is envisaged that the Institute would become the bastion of knowledge for Peace and security in Africa. The Institute would liaise with the international community, the United Nations and other non-African institutions that seek experiences and intimate knowledge of the political, socio-economic problems confronting the African continent in formulating solutions to them. The Institute would focus its research on the primary causes of conflict in African societies and the generation of conflict prevention and resolution techniques that are adapted to the African society.

Other Peace Initiatives of Alex Ekwueme Foundation includes the Peace Summit which would become an avenue for the articulation of ideas for all organisations and Agencies working for peace in Africa. The Alex Ekwueme Peace Mission would be primarily involved in mediation and conflict resolution as well as helping nations coming out of conflicts.

While all the current peace effort in Africa is concerned with conflict resolution, peacekeeping and security, The African Peace Initiative of the Alex Ekwueme Foundation would concentrate on conflict prevention, peace building and capacity projects for sustained peace and socio-economic development in Africa.

Dr Duke Igwilo is a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist in United Kingdom and Director General of Alex Ekwueme Foundation