PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
E. Guinea: Civil society appeals for involvement in conflict resolution in Africa
Malabo, E. Guinea (PANA) – Civil society organizations (CSOs) on Thursday in Malabo appealed for their involvement in the peace process in Africa.
In a recommendation addressed to the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) released during the 23rd African Union summit, the CSOs urged African countries to be more courageous and audacious in making decisions.
Considering that most conflicts in Africa were the result of the non-application of the judicial systems in force, the CSOs said that their participation was aimed at improving the capacity for the Peace and Security Council to supervise and evaluate the implementation of the agreements and warned about their non-application.
"It seems that there is a lack of political will from member States to take courageous and audacious decisions to prevent, manage and resolve the existing crisis," say the CSOs present in Malabo for the AU summit which opened on Thursday.
CSOs also lamented that civil society activists in the continent "are largely excluded from the implementation process of agreements" aimed at resolving conflicts.
In that respect, they urged the Peace and Security Council to persuade member States to fulfill their obligations within the PSC, and to insist on the independence of the judiciary in maintaining democratic principles and the priority of law over all their interventions.
"It is also essential to resolve the gap between early alert and quick intervention, particularly on key issues of the continent," they said.
By way of example, they said that there were warnings of instability linked to the Kenyan elections in 2007 before the occurrence of the acts of violence.
They also called for the prosecution of people who perpetrated crimes and were involved in violent conflicts and instability.
-0- PANA IZ/CJB/IS/MSA/MA 25June2014
In a recommendation addressed to the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) released during the 23rd African Union summit, the CSOs urged African countries to be more courageous and audacious in making decisions.
Considering that most conflicts in Africa were the result of the non-application of the judicial systems in force, the CSOs said that their participation was aimed at improving the capacity for the Peace and Security Council to supervise and evaluate the implementation of the agreements and warned about their non-application.
"It seems that there is a lack of political will from member States to take courageous and audacious decisions to prevent, manage and resolve the existing crisis," say the CSOs present in Malabo for the AU summit which opened on Thursday.
CSOs also lamented that civil society activists in the continent "are largely excluded from the implementation process of agreements" aimed at resolving conflicts.
In that respect, they urged the Peace and Security Council to persuade member States to fulfill their obligations within the PSC, and to insist on the independence of the judiciary in maintaining democratic principles and the priority of law over all their interventions.
"It is also essential to resolve the gap between early alert and quick intervention, particularly on key issues of the continent," they said.
By way of example, they said that there were warnings of instability linked to the Kenyan elections in 2007 before the occurrence of the acts of violence.
They also called for the prosecution of people who perpetrated crimes and were involved in violent conflicts and instability.
-0- PANA IZ/CJB/IS/MSA/MA 25June2014
