The vision of AU and NEPAD in Conflict Management

The vision of the AU is based on a united and strong Africa and on the need to build a partnership between governments and all segments of civil society in order to strengthen solidarity and cohesion among the peoples of Africa. As a continental organisation, it focuses on the promotion of peace, security and stability on the continent as a prerequisite for the implementation of the development and integration agenda. African leaders should therefore be held accountable by the people of Africa to deal vigorously and effectively with conflict resolution and the implementation of good governance principles. (Venter 2005, 139).

The current priorities for NEPAD are to eradicate these causes through the prevention of conflict, resolving it where it occurs, managing it when it is still in a stage of being resolved and to reconstructing society once the conflict has been resolved, removing all obstacles towards the revival of Africa. Intrastate and interstate political violence continue to form a critical mass of conflict that affects the every day life of the peoples of Africa. Long-running African conflicts such as those in the Sudan and Somalia, as well as in Sierra Leone, the DRC and Burundi, remain deep-rooted. There is therefore little sign that AU and NEPAD policies on conflict resolution have beneficiated sub-Saharan Africa to date. The gap between political policy development and policy implementation remains substantial (Venter &
Rohan-Irwin, 2005).

Herbst and Mills (2005) posed the question whether regional integration through NEPAD and the AU and its sub-regional bodies is possible or desirable among diverse countries. Seeing the problem from the perspective of unstable states, they reply that before integration of African states with one another is attempted, some internally unstable countries need to pull themselves together. With this proposition, the scholars draw the attention to the question of peace and stability as a prerequisite for success. Several factors are inhibiting the efforts of the AU and NEPAD, especially conditions in post-colonial states. Afro-pessimists have published ample material on the causes of instability and conflict in Africa; extensive content analysis of reliable literature revealed that inadequate governance, scarcity of resources, human rights abuses and lack of skills to implement plans currently impede human security and development in Africa. The socio-economic decay in terms of health, education, and food production is also a matter of concern. Environmental realities such as floods and droughts contribute to these conditions.
Added to that is the mostly negative role of armed groups that act beyond the control of the state, with resultant threatening coups and the proliferation of small arms and land mines. Moreover, reaction to global influences is a matter of concern: some countries have become havens and targets for international terrorism, diamond smugglers, mercenaries, and international crime syndicates. (Velthuizen 2005, 7).

This work is (c)opyright to Dr Dries Velthuizen African Wisdom site and is used with permission.