African Union peace ambassador Roll Stéphane Ngomat is urging for peace in Africa’s conflict riddled regions in a fresh plea to regional bodies and states.
Roll Stephane, who is the Chairperson of African Peace and Security Union (APSU) said that the matter of peace should be the top most agenda in the continent of trade and development to prosper.
“Before Africa places its efforts on trade and other pacts of development, I suggest that finding lasting peace in conflict hit regions should be the foremost agenda of every meeting or forum in the continent,” said Ngomat.
Ngomat mentions the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as that which needs urgent attention from African countries.
According to Ngomat, there has never been a better chance than now for sustainable peace to take hold in eastern Congo since the current phase of conflict began in the mid-1990s.
“Congo’s peace process should revolve around three key issues: democratic transformation in Congo; regional negotiations, mainly over economic and security issues; and increased accountability for war criminals,” suggests Ngomat.
The peace envoy believes that regional negotiations between countries undergoing conflict should focus on agreements on cross-border security, returning of refugees, and conflict free economic integration.
A Gabonese and a trained diplomat, Roll Stéphane Ngomat has had his career built close to the realities of the African continent, at the crossroads of governance, peace, security and civic participation.
Over the years, he has been involved in several initiatives related to conflict prevention, institution-building and security sector reform.
His experience within bodies associated with the African Union has enabled him to understand both the weaknesses and the potential of African states.
Above all, he has understood one essential truth: crises are not solved only in international conferences.
They are resolved when institutions function properly, when young people find their place, when women take part in decision-making, and when states have the means to act.
This knowledge of the field gives him a rare advantage: the ability to speak about a practical Francophonie rooted in the real needs of the people.
Ngomat’s peace efforts have placed Libreville at a position to strengthen its influence within the Francophone world and entire continent, projecting the image of a country capable of offering a new vision on the international stage.
The peace envoy says that Africa finds itself at a pivotal juncture.
While hosting some of the world’s fastest-growing economies and a vibrant, youthful population, Africa’s progress has been overshadowed by myriad security challenges such as deep rooted conflicts.
“Taking a panoramic view from the insurgencies in the Sahel to the catastrophic conflict in Sudan and the persistent instability in the Great Lakes region, the threats are increasingly transnational, asymmetrical, and complex,” he observes.
In his view, humanitarian consequences arising from conflicts are grave yet all this is happening at a time when traditional notions of state-centric security have increasingly proved insufficient to tackle the continent’s security challenges.
Peacekeeping has remained a key cornerstone of how multilateral efforts have continued to shore up peace in Africa. Various multilateral efforts have reinforced the idea that peacekeeping should go beyond the goal of simply maintaining a ceasefire.
A good example is the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia, which demonstrates the shift towards peacekeeping missions that integrate military action with political reconciliation and humanitarian support.
These missions continue to progress well, largely in part because they have satisfied the question of legitimacy and mandate—crucial to gaining the trust of the affected populations.
However, Ngomat believes that there is a need for adequate and predictable funding for the missions to operate at optimal levels.
Mediation, he suggests, is one of the most effective tools for long-term stability, has been another area where African-led multilateralism has strived to achieve success in conflict resolution.
Through multilateralism, major complex crises continue to be addressed; for instance, the “Quintet” mechanism, comprising the AU, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the League of Arab States, the European Union (EU), and the United Nations (UN), has been working to resolve the crisis in Sudan.
About the Author
