Africa's peace, security body
Matome Sebelebele
27 May 2004
African leaders have welcomed the launch of the African Union's Peace and Security Council, saying it affirmed Africa's political will to rid the continent of conflicts.
The multinational Peace and Security Council is legally empowered to intervene in any African Union (AU) member country that experiences genocide, crimes against humanity, an undemocratic change of government or an uprising by rebel forces.
African leaders have been urged to start preparing to dispatch their defence forces to back the council in curbing conflicts.
Speaking at the inauguration of the 15-member council at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Tuesday, AU chairperson Joaquim Chissano said the success of the council would depend on the willingness of Africa's five regional economic groupings to mobilise their forces to tackle the continent's hotspots.
The troubleshooting council, chaired for its first month by Nigeria, will have a standby
reaction force and an early warning system. The council's chairman, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, said there would be "no conflict that will be out of bounds" for the council.
In executing its mandate, Obasanjo said, the council would target rebel groups seeking regime change as well as rogue governments that undermined human rights and the rule of law.
Alpha Konare, chairperson of the AU commission, said he was confident that the council, armed with a common security and defence policy, would help bring an end to the conflicts that had perpetuated poverty, homelessness and underdevelopment in Africa.
Konare called on member countries to commit other physical and monetary resources to the council, in addition to the political will and mandate they had spelled out.
"We must break off from the improvisation and systematic recourse to external assistance", Konare said. "Nobody will establish lasting peace in Africa except Africans themselves."
Delegates present at the launch of the council committed their countries to work jointly to strengthen peacekeeping missions on the continent.
Among the continent's ongoing conflicts is a border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and a regional conflict with genocide potential in Sudan, which peace and security commissioner in the council Said Djinnit said needed urgent attention.
In March, the AU's executive council elected 15 member states to serve on the Peace and Security Council.
Five countries, one per region - Central, East, North, Southern, and West Africa - were elected to serve for a three-year term, with 10 others to serve for a term of two years thereafter.
Gabon, Ethiopia, Algeria, South Africa and Nigeria were elected for the first three-year term, while Cameroon and Congo (Central Africa), Kenya and Sudan (East Africa), Libya (North Africa), Lesotho and Mozambique (Southern Africa), and Ghana, Senegal and Togo (West Africa) were
elected to serve the subsequent two-year term.
South Africa was represented at the council's launch by Deputy President Jacob Zuma and Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
Source: BuaNews
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