DECISION ON THE REPORT OF THE PEACE AND SECURITY
COUNCIL ON ITS ACTIVITIES AND THE STATE OF PEACE
AND SECURITY IN AFRICA
DOC. ASSEMBLY/AU/2(XI)
The Assembly,
TAKES NOTE of the Report of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) on its activities and the state of peace and security in Africa;
WELCOMES the efforts deployed to promote peace, security and stability in Africa, as well as the progress made to date. The Assembly ENCOURAGES all parties concerned to redouble efforts and REQUESTS the Commission to continue to support the ongoing processes and mobilize the support of the international community to that effect;
WELCOMES the progress made in the operationalization of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and REQUESTS the Commission to pursue the efforts being deployed, particularly with respect to the Continental Early Warning System (CEWS) and the African Standby Force (ASF);
EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the success of the operation "Democracy in the Comoros”, which enabled the Government of the Union of the Comoros to re-establish its authority in Anjouan, and EXPRESSES ITS GRATITUDE to the Governments of Tanzania and the Sudan, as well as Libya and Senegal, which kindly provided their support to the Government of the Comoros, in implementation of Decision Assembly/Dec.186 (X) adopted at the 10th Ordinary Session held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 31 January to 2 February 2008.
ALSO EXPRESSES ITS GRATITUDE to the countries of the region, under the coordination of the Republic of South Africa, which spared no effort to come to the aid of Comoros and support the reconciliation efforts in the Archipelago. The Assembly THANKS the AU partners for their support. The Assembly WELCOMES the holding in Anjouan, on 15 and 29 June 2008, of elections which made it possible to designate the new President of the Autonomous Island of Anjouan;
REQUESTS the Commission and AU Member States to continue to support efforts aimed at consolidating the progress made to date in the Comoros, including the rationalization of current institutional arrangements and the improvement of governance, as well as the socio-economic recovery of the Archipelago and the war on poverty;
EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the Agreements reached to resolve the electoral crisis in Kenya and the establishment the coalition Government, in particular the National Accord and Reconciliation Act and the Agreement on the Principles of Partnership of the coalition Government. The Assembly COMMENDS the work done by President John Kufour of Ghana, the Panel of Eminent African Personalities led by Kofi Annan, and including Mr. Benjamin Mkapa, former President of Tanzania and Mrs. Graga Machel, as well as the critical role played by the Chairperson of the AU, President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda in his capacity as Chairperson of the East African Community, in assisting the parties to reach a peaceful solution to the crisis. The Assembly AKNOWLEGES the goodwill shown so far in implementing these Agreements and CALLS ON all parties to fully implement all aspects of the Agreements;
WELCOMES the progress made in the promotion of an all-inclusive political process in Somalia, in particular the conclusion, on 9 June 2008, in Djibouti, of an Agreement between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS), under the auspices of the United Nations, with the support of the AU, other regional organizations and international partners. The Assembly STRONGLY URGES all Somali stakeholders to join this process and commit themselves to the peaceful and negotiated settlement of the conflict in Somalia. The Assembly CONDEMNS all attempts aimed at undermining the ongoing peace and reconciliation process in Somalia;
CALLS UPON the international community to lend increased support to the efforts aimed at bringing to a definite end the violence that has plagued Somalia for about two decades, including the early deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping operation that would take over from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and support the longterm stabilization and reconstruction of Somalia in view of;
REITERATES ITS APPRECIATION for the work done by the AMISOM and APPEALS to the Member States and AU partners to provide increased support to the Mission to enable it successfully carry out its mandate;
EXPRESSES DEEP CONCERN over the situation prevailing at the border between Djibouti and Eritrea, and the tension in the relations between the two countries. The Assembly STRONGLY CONDEMNS the use of force, REITERATES the obligation to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Member States, and CALLS FOR the return to the situation prevailing at the common border between the two countries before the current tension, including the immediate withdrawal of all the forces positioned there since 4 February 2008;
1 Reservation entered by the State of Eritrea
The Assembly WELCOMES the initiatives taken by the PSC and the Commission to facilitate the resolution of this crisis, including the dispatching by the Commission of a mission to Djibouti, from 5 to 9 June 2008, and EXPRESSES ITS SINCERE APPRECIATION to the Djiboutian authorities for cooperating with the mission and their constant willingness to enter into dialogue in order to find a peaceful solution to the crisis;
EXPRESSES DEEP CONCERN at the refusal of the Eritrean authorities to receive the mission from the Commission and URGENTLY APPEALS to them to extend their full cooperation to the efforts deployed by the AU towards a peaceful solution to the crisis. The Assembly WELCOMES the support provided by the United Nations Security Council to the AU efforts, as expressed in its Presidential Statement of 12 June 2008;
WELCOMES AND EXPRESSES SUPPORT to the decision of the 12th IGAD Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 14 June 2008 on the Eritrea and Djibouti conflict. The Assembly NOTES the decision taken by the IGAD Summit by recognizing the implications of Eritrea’s absence from IGAD for regional peace, security and development, and the consequent designation of a Ministerial Committee to engage Eritrea on the possibility of reconsidering her decision to suspend IGAD membership;
WELCOMES the agreement reached by the parties to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), on 8 June 2008, on a “Roadmap for the return of IDPs and Implementation of the Abeyi Protocol”, which will pave the way towards the resolution of the Abeyi impasse, and URGES the parties to intensify their efforts with a view to addressing all the outstanding issues in the implementation of the CPA. The Assembly NOTES the steps taken by the Commission in support of the implementation of the CPA, and REQUESTS that immediate steps be taken for the full operationalization of the Liaison Office in Khartoum with an Office in Juba. The Assembly ENCOURAGES the AU Ministerial Committee for Post-Conflict Reconstruction in the Sudan to pursue and intensify its efforts;
EXPRESSES DEEP CONCERN at the continued lack of progress in the political process in Darfur, and URGES the parties to extend full cooperation to the joint AU-UN Mediation so that substantive negotiations can begin in earnest. The Assembly ALSO EXPRESSES CONCERN at the continued violence in Darfur and its impact on the civilian population. The Assembly STRESSES the need for continued efforts towards the full deployment of UNAMID;
EXPRESSES CONCERN at the continued tensions between Chad and the Sudan and CALLS for renewed efforts to implement the Dakar agreement and previous agreements between the two countries;
NOTES WITH SATISFACTION the efforts deployed by the Central African Government in the promotion of the Inclusive Political Dialogue. The Assembly COMMENDS the conclusion of the preparatory work for the said Dialogue and URGES all the parties concerned to participate in it in a constructive manner. The Assembly WELCOMES the signing in Libreville on 21 June 2008, of the Comprehensive Ceasefire and Peace Agreement between the Government and the People’s Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD) and the Union for Rally of Democratic Forces (UFDR). The Assembly URGES the Democratic Front for the People of Central Africa (FDPC) to sign the said Agreement, and TAKES NOTE of the decision of the ECCAS Summit to transfer the management of the FOMUC from CEMAC to ECCAS, and EXPRESSES ITS APPRECIATION to all the development partners for their constant support and their commitment alongside the Central African authorities and ENCOURAGES them to continue and strengthen their support to the consolidation of peace and stability in the CAR;
WELCOMES the efforts deployed towards the implementation of the Joint Communique signed in Nairobi, on 9 November 2007 by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwandan Governments, as well as the work achieved by the Joint Monitoring Group established by the Tripartite-*- Summit held in Addis Ababa on 5 December 2007. Furthermore, the Assembly URGES the Congolese parties to comply with the Goma Statements of Commitment, to strictly implement them with a view to accelerating the re-establishment of State authority in the Kivus, and promote the socio-economic development of the two provinces;
EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the conclusion, in Bujumbura on 26 May 2008, by the Government of Burundi and the Palipehutu/FNL, of a Joint Declaration on the Cessations of Hostilities, which re-launches the implementation of the Comprehensive Ceasefire Agreement of 7 September 2006. The Assembly APPEALS to Member States and AU partners to provide all the necessary support to the ongoing efforts, thus contributing to the consolidation of peace in Burundi;
EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the progress being made in the postconflict reconstruction and peace building efforts in Liberia, and ENCOURAGES the larger international community to continue to support the efforts of the Liberian Government;
NOTES WITH SATISFACTION the progress made in the peace process in Cote d’Ivoire and WELCOMES, in particularly, the measures taken, on a consensual basis, to hold the presidential elections on 30 November 2008. The Assembly PAYS TRIBUTE to President Blaise Campaore of Burkina Faso, the current Chairperson of ECOWAS, and Facilitator of the Inter-Ivorian Direct Dialogue. The Assembly URGES all the Ivorian parties to maintain and consolidate the dynamics of peace prevailing in the country since the signing of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement on 4 March 2007. The Assembly CALLS ON the international community to continue to accompany and support the peace process in Cote d’Ivoire;
WELCOMES the report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations of 7 April 2008 on the relationship between the UN and regional organizations, in particular the African Union, in the maintenance of international peace and security. The Assembly COMMENDS the Republic of South Africa for the sustained efforts that it has made in following up on the Assembly’s decision of January 2007 for the funding of AU-led peace support operations through UN assessed contributions. The Assembly ALSO EXPRESSES appreciation to the other African Members of the Security Council for their support and efforts;
ALSO WELCOMES the Secretary-General’s proposal, endorsed by the Security Council in its resolution 1809(2008) of 16 April 2008, to set up an African Union-United Nations panel consisting of distinguished persons to consider in-depth the modalities of how to support, including financing, peacekeeping operations undertaken by regional organizations, in particular as related to start-up funding, equipment and logistics, and make concrete recommendations. The Assembly REQUESTS the Commission to continue to follow up the implementation of this resolution.