2nd Annual International Multi-Country Peace Conference, 21 - 22 Sept., 2021, Tou’Ngou Hotel, Yaounde.
Theme: The protection of human rights of ethnic minorities and Conflict Prevention using Early Warning Mechanism
A keynote address delivered by Mwalimu George Ngwane
- Overview of conflict prevention and Peace building in Cameroon and the role of Government and civil society
- Broader understanding of conflicts in the region
Because of their internal diversity, countries are faced with intra-state conflicts especially when this diversity is not well managed. Cameroon is no exception. Conflicts generally emanate from the various identities that constitute this diversity. Art.27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights recognises ethnic, religious and linguistic identities but to these one can add gender, youths and indigenous populations as a whole.
Conflict prevention or what Boutros Boutros Ghali used to call Preventive Diplomacy can be at the level of preventing the conflicting from manifesting (nipping it in the bud) or preventing the conflict from escalating. In any of the two cases conflict prevention relies a great deal on Early Warning mechanisms or Alarm systems. Early warning signals are conflict factors that are on the surface waiting to get open. Some of these conflict factors or triggers include anti-people policies and laws (structural violence); poverty gap between individuals of the same country (vertical inequalities); skewed electoral law and constitutional manipulation; all forms of exclusion, human right abuses especially Gender-based violence, youth unemployment, poor access to basic amenities, intolerance to opinion, and all shades of isms arising from not good enough Governance.
A response or a confrontation by the victims to these conflict factors is what sets the scene for a conflict manifest. The latent conflict can be manifest in street protests; dissenting views in the public domain (media, social and conventional) and even in official spaces like Parliament or any other arms of government.
What role should government and civil society play towards these conflict manifest? Government in its Track 1 approach needs to a) Acknowledge the problem embedded in the conflict manifest with a timely intervention; b) Be prepared to address the root causes, c) Create communication or genuine dialogue channels to address the conflict factor d) Develop a diverse not monolithic or linear political mind-set and e) Embark on reform programs (institutional, sectorial or constitutional) that speak to the nature and scope of the conflict manifest.
As for civil society engaging in their Track 11 approach, it can be most times complimentary and consultative. The religious and traditional authorities, independent personalities, artists, youth and women groups as well as the media etc need to be visible in a consensual and non-partisan manner towards advising all direct actors of the conflict. You must have heard of the Community of Saint Egidio in Rome, Italy
As for Peace building, some think it can come even when the conflict is ongoing, others think it should intervene after peace has been concluded. But let me make this anecdote, at the level of conflict prevention we try to find out where the rain began to beat us but at the level of peace building we try to find out how we can dry ourselves off. It is therefore in my opinion a post conflict tool that seeks to consolidate the gains of positive peace. Let me mention just two tools involved in peace building: there is what I call Mindfrastructure and what we know as Infrastructure. Mindfrastructure means getting the minds of the conflicting parties back into the pre-conflict situation (reconciliation without bitterness, reconciliation with forgiveness, atonement or what Prof Ali Mazrui termed ‘developing a short memory of hate’). Simply put this all packaged in what is often called restorative justice. Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR), Truth and reconciliation committees, gacaca etc are some examples that have been used to restore social harmony and mental healing. (not visible in Cameroon because the conflict is ongoing) Infrastructure is often done through reconstruction and development ( In Cameroon although the conflict is ongoing we have already started the process even if some think we needed to end the conflict before using any peace building tool). CSO also use tools like Sports for peace, musical concerts for peace, peace walks, peace education especially in schools etc
Dear participants I was also requested to reflect over broader understanding of conflicts in the region. Most of what I mentioned in the earlier part of this presentation holds for conflicts in the region. Let me add however, conflicts are intra-state (i.e. internal or within the country) and interstate (between countries/states). Interstate conflicts often manifest in boundaries between countries, resources (or what is called resource conflict especially within the borders (the Bakassi peninsula), cross-border religious or jihadist insurgency (Boko Haram, Al Shaba,); election-related conflicts tied to our choice of multiparty democracy since the 1990s, constitutional and military coup d’état, the endemic contagious tenacity virus called third term or timeless term mandates etc. Border conflicts and cross-border insurgencies can be mitigated through bilateral cooperation, sub regional platforms, continental and international bodies. So they usually call for multi-track diplomacy. I need here to congratulate ECOWAS and SADC for their prompt interventionist strategies even if they focus more on military take overs and ignore the third term provocations. I also regret the absence of a robust African Union in managing conflicts; and yet the AU has a Panel of the Wise simply called The Panel within their Peace and Security Council. While the general mission of the Peace and Security Council is to respond to and manage conflicts in Africa, the Panel has four main tasks: Conflict Prevention (The Panel is charged with opening channels of communication that would prevent disputes from escalating into conflict); Early warnings (The Panel carries out fact finding missions where there is a danger of conflict either breaking out or seriously escalating); Conflict Resolution (The Panel encourages conflicting parties or belligerents to the negotiating table); Conflict Settlement (The Panel enhances the implementation of Peace Agreements). But helas!
Finally if conflicts are often identity-based then we can address them through a unity in diversity approach but especially as Africans through our indigenous knowledge and our pan African spirit of solidarity or sharing, in Cameroon the Beti call it mbangsuma, through unity of blood which is thicker than water which in kiswahili is called umoja or through empathy or love for the other which in South Africa is called Ubuntu.
Je vous remercie, Thank you, Asante sana.
Mwalimu George Ngwane is author of the book “Settling Disputes in Africa” (2001), Senior Chevening Fellow, Conflict Prevention and Resolution, University of York (UK) 2010, Rotary Peace Fellow, University of Chulalongkorn, Bangkok (Thailand) 2015, Commonwealth Professional Fellow, Minority Rights Group, London (UK) 2015, Bilingual Commission scholar, Cardiff, Wales 2015, United Nations Minority Rights Fellow, OHCHR, Geneva (Switzerland) 2016. He was elected Member since 2017 of the Board of Trustees, Minority Rights Group, London (UK) and Minority Rights Group, Africa (Uganda). He is also since 2021 a Senior Fellow with the United Nations Commission for Human Rights. His blog is www.gngwane.com
Recent Comments