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/6(XIII)
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, including the report of the Panel of the Wise;
WELCOMES the efforts deployed by the current Chairperson of the Union, Brother Leader Muammar Qaddafi, PSC, the Panel of the Wise and other concerned actors to promote peace, security and stability in Africa, as well as the progress achieved in the establishment of the African Peace and Security Architecture, and EXTENDS ITS FULL SUPPORT to these efforts. The Assembly ENCOURAGES all the concerned parties to intensify their efforts to resolve the crisis and conflict situations in the continent and to consolidate peace where it has been made. The Assembly ALSO REQUESTS the Commission to continue to support the on-going processes and mobilize international community assistance to this end;
ALSO WELCOMES the progress achieved in the implementation of the Agreements concluded in 2006 between the Government of Burundi and Palipehutu-FNL. In this regard, the Assembly CONGRATULATES the Burundian parties for their political will, as well as the Regional Initiative and the South African Facilitation, for their unwavering support to the peace process. The Assembly EXPRESSES GRATITUDE to the international community for its support and URGES all concerned actors to invest all efforts to ensure that the 2010 elections are conducted in a peaceful, fair and transparent atmosphere, thus resulting in definitive end to the crisis in Burundi;
WELCOMES the conclusion, on 23 March 2009, of the Goma Agreements between the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on the one hand, and the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) and the armed Congolese groups operating in North and South Kivu, on the other. The Assembly INVITES the parties to these Agreements to implement them without delay, and EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the restoration of trust and confidence amongst the countries of the region in general, and between the DRC and Rwanda, in particular;
NOTES WITH SATISFACTION the successful conduct and the outcomes of the Inclusive Political Dialogue (DPI), which took place in Bangui, Central African Republic, from 8 to 20 December 2008, as well as the measures taken to implement the recommendations thereof. At the same time, the Assembly EXPRESSES ITS SERIOUS CONCERN at the resurgence of armed attacks and highway banditry, as well as the proliferation of political/military groups in the country. The Assembly STRONGLY CONDEMNS these attacks and CALLS UPON the concerned armed groups to put an immediate end to their attacks and join the political process, and thus consolidate peace and stability in CAR. The Assembly APPEALS to Member States and the international community to provide the financial and technical assistance required to facilitate the effective implementation of the recommendations of the DPI and the socioeconomic recovery of CAR;
WELCOMES the signing of the Agreement of Good Will and Confidence Building for the Settlement of the Problem of Darfur between the Government of The Sudan and the Justice and Equality Movement, and ENCOURAGES them to continue the current talks aimed at finding practical ways and means to implement this important instrument for the Darfur peace process, in order to pave the way for discussions on the framework agreement and the cessation of hostilities and, ultimately, discussions on substantive issues. The Assembly CALLS ON all the parties to recommit themselves to dialogue and to refrain from any action likely to further complicate the situation;
REITERATES its strong support for the on-going work of the AU High-Level Panel on Darfur led by Thabo Mbeki, former President of South Africa, aimed at finding a balanced way to address concomitantly the questions of peace, justice and reconciliation, and URGES all the Sudanese stakeholders to assume an active role in the proceedings of the Panel. The Assembly LOOKS FORWARD to the recommendations of the Panel and is confident that they will greatly assist the on-going efforts to bring about lasting peace and reconciliation in Darfur;
UNDERSCORES the need for renewed efforts in promoting relations of good neighbourliness and trust between The Sudan and Chad and CALLS FOR the scrupulous implementation of the Agreements concluded between the two countries. The Assembly ENCOURAGES the efforts deployed to facilitate the normalisation of the relations between Chad and The Sudan, and URGES the co-Chairs of the Contact Group to resume its functioning, and thereby conclude the excellent work that it set in motion within the context of the Dakar Agreement;
SUPPORTS the decisions of the PSC on the unconstitutional changes of Government that occurred in Mauritania, Guinea and Madagascar. The Assembly WELCOMES the signing, on 4 June 2009, of a Framework Agreement for a way out of the crisis in Mauritania, PAYS TRIBUTE to President Sidi Quid Cheikh Abdallahi for his high sense of the general interest, particularly his voluntary decision to hand over his presidential mandate to the people of Mauritania, thus making a historic contribution to the crisis exit process in the country, CALLS UPON the concerned parties to implement their commitments in good faith and in strict compliance with African Union principles on unconstitutional changes of Government and URGES AU partners to lend their full support to AU’s decisions on this issue. The Assembly LOOKS FORWARD to the holding of free, fair and transparent presidential elections, in accordance with the Dakar Framework Agreement;
EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the efforts deployed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the AU Commission, as well as by the Chair of the Union, and at the invaluable role being played by the International Contact Group on Guinea, INVITES the authorities emanating from the coup d’etat to respect their commitments and to bring the transition process to a successful conclusion in keeping with the roadmap agreed by the Guinean parties, and REQUESTS AU Member States and the international community to provide the financial and technical assistance needed to prepare and organize the legislative and presidential elections that should conclude the transition;
EXPRESSES ITS SERIOUS CONCERN at the lack of progress in restoring constitutional legality in Madagascar, SUPPORTS the elements for a way out of the crisis, as articulated by the International Contact Group on Madagascar at its meeting held in Addis Ababa on 30 April 2009, and ENCOURAGES the Chairperson of the Commission to pursue and redouble his efforts to achieve a speedy return to constitutional order, in close consultation with the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), as well as the United Nations, the Organisation of Francophonie (OIF) and the EU. The Assembly WELCOMES the appointment by SADC of former President Joaquim Chissano as its Special Envoy for Madagascar and LOOKS FORWARD to the outcome of the planned meeting of the Contact Group on Madagascar before the end of July 2009 to review the situation and mobilize further support for the efforts aimed at ensuring a speedy return to constitutional order;
CONDEMNS in the strongest possible terms the spiral of violence which resulted in the assassination of the President of Guinea Bissau Joao Bernardo “Nino” Vieira, and his Chief of Army Staff, General Batista Tagme Na Wai, in March 2009, and more recently on 5 June 2009, the assassination of Baciro Dabo, candidate for the presidential election scheduled for 28 June 2009, and of Helder Proenga, former Defence Minister. The Assembly URGES the armed and security forces to refrain from all interference in political issues, SUPPORTS the efforts deployed by the Chairperson of the Commission, including through his Special Envoy for Guinea Bissau, Mr. Joao Bernardo de Miranda, to backstop the process of stabilization in the country, and ENCOURAGES him to pursue these efforts and intensify coordination with ECOWAS and the United Nations so as to achieve a speedy resolution of the crisis in Guinea Bissau;
WELCOMES the progress achieved in Cote d’Ivoire in the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement (APO) and the Agreements Supplementary to APO, including the presidential decree of 14 May 2009 on the convening of the Electoral College and setting the date for the first round of the presidential election on 29 November 2009. The Assembly URGES the Ivorian parties to continue to demonstrate the political will required to create a climate propitious for the presidential elections and to deploy all efforts to honour their commitments. The Assembly ENCOURAGES Member States of the African Union and the international community at large to pursue and intensify their support for Cote d’Ivoire;
WELCOMES the significant progress made by President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed in the political process in Somalia, and URGES all Somali stakeholders yet to commit to the dialogue, to do so and join the peace process. The Assembly STRONGLY CONDEMNS the recent spate of attacks on the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) and the civilian population by armed groups and foreign elements bent on undermining the reconciliation process and regional stability, DEMANDS that they put an end to such attacks which are tantamount to attempts at unconstitutional change of Government, EXPRESSES ITS FULL SUPPORT for the TFG as the legitimate authority in Somalia, and URGES the countries of the region, other Member States and the international community as a whole to provide all the necessary support to the TFG to enable it face up to the situation. In particular, the Assembly EXPRESSES SUPPORT to the efforts being deployed by IGAD to ensure the viability of the TFG;
URGES AU Member States to provide the necessary military and police personnel to enable AMISOM to reach its authorized strength, PAYS TRIBUTE to AMISOM and the Troop Contributing Countries, namely: Burundi and Uganda; REQUESTS Member States which have promised to provide troops for AMISOM to honour these promises as soon as possible and EXPRESSES GRATITUDE to all the Member States and partners providing support to AMISOM;
CALLS ON the United Nations Security Council, in line with the AU PSC and IGAD communiques, to take immediate measures, including the imposition of a no-fly zone and blockade of sea ports, to prevent the entry of foreign elements into Somalia, as well as flights and shipments carrying weapons and ammunitions to armed groups inside Somalia which are carrying out attacks against the TFG, the civilian population and AMISOM, and also to impose sanctions against all those foreign actors, both within and outside the region, especially Eritrea, providing support to the armed groups engaged in destabilization activities in Somalia, attacks against the TFG, the civilian population and AMISOM, as well as against the Somali individuals and entities working towards undermining the peace and reconciliation efforts and regional stability;*
TAKES NOTE of the Report of the Commission on the border crisis between Djibouti and Eritrea, as well as the negative evolution of the crisis, as described to the Assembly, EXPRESSES GRAVE CONCERN at the total absence of progress regarding the implementation by Eritrea of the successive decisions taken at the 11th and 12th Ordinary Sessions of the Assembly, held respectively in July 2008 and February 2009, as well as resolution 1862 of the UN Security Council regarding the border dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea. The Assembly, once again, RE-AFFIRMS its different decisions and resolutions mentioned above and URGES Eritrea to urgently and fully comply with the repeated demands of the AU and the international community on the border crisis between Eritrea and Djibouti;
EXPRESSES ITS SERIOUS CONCERN at the mounting insecurity in the maritime spaces around Africa, and Somalia in particular, and STRONGLY CONDEMNS all illegal activities in these regions, including piracy, illegal fishing and dumping of toxic waste. The Assembly WELCOMES the initiatives undertaken by the Commission to develop a comprehensive and coherent strategy to combat these scourges and REQUESTS it to submit reports thereon to the competent organs of the African Union, on a regular basis;
WELCOMES the Report of the Panel established by the AU and the UN to make concrete recommendations on how the UN could support AU-led peace support operations, UNDERLINES the need for continued efforts to ensure predictable, sustainable and flexible funding for AU-led peace support operations and ENCOURAGES the Commission to continue working closely with the UN Secretariat to follow up on the issue;
REITERATES the need for continued support by the UN to the efforts being deployed by Africa towards the promotion of peace, security and stability. In this respect, the Assembly STRESSES the primary responsibility of the UN Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security.
*Reservation Entered by Eritrea