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/4(XXII)
The Assembly,
TAKES NOTE of the Report of the Peace and Security Council on its Activities and the State of Peace and Security in Africa;
UNDERSCORES the need for renewed effort to tackle the challenges to peace and security that have continued to confront Africa. To this end, the Assembly RECALLS the crucial need for expeditious and comprehensive operationalization of all the components of the African Peace and Security Architecture, as well as the need for more effective action, both operational and structural, in the realm of conflict prevention;
EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the continued progress in the consolidation of peace and reconciliation in The Comoros, in Liberia and in Cote d’Ivoire;
WELCOMES the conclusion of the process of transition and restoration of constitutional order in Madagascar sequel to the two rounds of presidential elections conducted on 25 October and 20 December 2013, respectively, the legislative elections coupled with the presidential election run-off and Madagascar’s resumption of participation in AU activities. The Assembly COMMENDS the Malagasy players for the results obtained and INVITES them to persevere in their effort at promoting reconciliation, and at deepening democracy and socio-economic recovery. The Assembly COMMENDS the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union and the Indian Ocean Commission for their support to the crisis exit process;
ALSO WELCOMES the conduct of legislative elections in Guinea on 26 September 2013, thus marking the end of the electoral process initiated as part of the country’s transition, and URGES all the concerned players to work together to consolidate the substantial gains so far achieved. The Assembly FURTHER WELCOMES the positive developments in the situation in Tunisia and the commitment of the various Tunisian stakeholders to foster consensus and dialogue with a view to bringing the on-going transition to a successful conclusion. The Assembly URGES Guinea Bissau stakeholders to spare no effort to abide by the calendar established for the conduct of elections in March 2014, which is expected to mark the restoration of constitutional order in the country, REITERATES its support for the action taken by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), COMMENDS the latter for the on-going process, and RENEWES its appeal to the United Nations, the AU, ECOWAS, the EU and the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) to continue to coordinate their efforts to support the transition process in Guinea Bissau;
TAKES NOTE of the effort exerted by the Libyan transition authorities to address the multi-faceted challenges facing their country, REAFFIRMS its support for the Libyan Government and STRESSES the need for increased African and international mobilization in support of Libya. The Assembly TAKES NOTE of the events in Egypt, RECALLS the relevant decisions of the PSC on the situation, and EXPRESSES its solidarity with the Egyptian people and the wish for speedy success of the efforts invested to re-establish constitutional order in the country. The Assembly STRONGLY CONDEMNS the acts of terrorism perpetrated in the country;
WELCOMES the positive developments in Mali, particularly the conduct of two rounds of presidential election on 28 July and 11 August 2013, respectively, EXPRESSES its unalloyed support for the efforts invested by the authorities of Mali to fully re-establish State authority and foster reconciliation, ENCOURAGES them to move on resolutely towards the opening of inclusive talks within the framework of the Ouagadougou Agreement of 18 June 2013, and URGES the international community to continue to support the peace consolidation process in Mali. The Assembly UNDERSCORES the need for sustained collective action to tackle the multiform challenges confronting the Sahelo-Saharan region, NOTES WITH SATISFACTION the regional and international initiatives undertaken in this regard and ENCOURAGES the Commission, particularly through the African Union Mission in Mali and the Sahel (MISAHEL) and the on-going strategy by MISAHEL to pool these initiatives and move forward the actions set in motion in this regard. The Assembly WELCOMES the continued efforts at implementing and deepening the Nouakchott Process on the enhancement of security cooperation and the operationalization of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) in the Sahelo-Saharan region;
EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the positive developments in the situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following the end of the M23 rebellion and the signing in Nairobi on 12 December 2013, of Declarations by the DRC Government and the M23, endorsed by a joint communique signed by the incumbent chairs of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and SADC. The Assembly WELCOMES the advances made in the implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for DRC and the region signed in Addis Ababa on 24 February 2013 and URGES the signatory States to respect their commitments under the terms of the Agreement;
UNDERSCORES that despite the agreement between the Government of the DRC and M23, the continued presence of armed groups however remains a serious threat to peace and lasting stability in the Great Lakes Region - of great concern is the group associated with the 1994 genocide against Tutsis in Rwanda, the FDLR. The Assembly NOTES that, despite multiple decisions by successive International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) remains active and, consequently, STRESSES the need for urgent action to eliminate FDLR, as well as other armed groups in the DRC, in order to bring lasting stability to the Great Lakes Region.
NOTES WITH SATISFACTION the continued progress in the relations between The Sudan and South Sudan, and this, within the framework of the Cooperation Agreements signed between the two countries in Addis Ababa, in September 2012, REITERATES its support for the High-Level Implementation Panel and ENCOURAGES the latter to pursue the implementation of all aspects of its mandate as defined by the PSC, including at its summit level meeting held in New York on 23 September 2013;
WELCOMES the progress that has continued to be recorded in Somalia, and NOTES WITH SATISFACTION the measures taken pursuant to the 10 October 2013 PSC communique on the AU/United Nations Joint Strategic Review of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the benchmarking exercise and on resolution 2124 (2013) of 10 November 2013, to strengthen AMISOM, mobilize additional support for the Somali national security forces towards successful conclusion of restoration of Somali State authority in areas still under the control of Al-Shabaab and create the conditions for the conduct of the elections scheduled for 2016. The Assembly URGES Somali players to persevere in the path of reconciliation and continue to promote an inclusive process;
ONCE AGAIN UNDERSCORES the need for more sustained effort to overcome the difficulties facing the peace process between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and to normalize the relations between Djibouti and Eritrea. The Assembly REQUESTS the Commission to continue to work towards effective implementation of its previous decisions on the two aforementioned situations, including promotion of a global and holistic approach to the challenges to peace and security in the Horn of Africa;
RECALLS Decision EX.CL/Dec.773(XXIII) on the Situation in Western Sahara adopted by the 23rd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council held in Addis Ababa from 19 to 23 May 2013, and TAKES NOTE that the report which the Commission was to present to the current Executive Council session in accordance with that Decision, will be finally submitted in July 2014. In the meantime, the Assembly REQUESTS the Commission to pursue the efforts set in motion to follow up on Decision EX.CL/ Dec.773(XXIII);
NOTES WITH CONCERN the eruption on 15 December 2013 of violent conflict in South Sudan and the grave consequences inherent in this situation for both the country itself and the region at large. The Assembly URGES the concerned players to scrupulously and urgently implement and respect the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement they concluded on 23 January 2014 under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD). The Assembly CALLS UPON the parties to engage, on the basis of the progress already accomplished, in inclusive dialogue to find a lasting solution to the root causes of the crisis. The Assembly EXPRESSES its unalloyed support for the mediation conducted by IGAD, URGES members of the international community to continue to back these efforts, APPEALS for mobilization of increased humanitarian assistance to the effected populations, and EXPRESSES its support for the role played by the United Nations Mission to
South Sudan (UNMISS) and WELCOMES the ceasefire agreement in South Sudan and the partial release of detainees;
EXPRESSES its deep concern at the situation in the Central African Republic and REAFFIRMS Africa’s determination to spare no effort to re-establish security in that country and facilitate successful conclusion of the transition. The Assembly COMMENDS the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) for its decisive action in support of CAR, WELCOMES the deployment of the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (AFISM-CAR) and the efforts it is deploying on the ground with the support of Operation Sangaris, and REQUESTS the mobilization of all the resources required by the Mission for effective implementation of its mandate. To this end, the Assembly EXPRESSES gratitude to the concerned partners for the support already accorded to (AFISM-CAR) and UNDERSCORES imperative need for close coordination to ensure that their contributions help in strengthening (AFISM-CAR) and in the effective implementation of its mandate. The Assembly URGES Central African Republic players to demonstrate commitment and sense of responsibility so as to facilitate the successful conclusion of the on-going transition;
WELCOMES the advances made in the implementation of the Regional Cooperation Initiative for the Elimination of the Lord’s Resistance Army (RCI- LRA), and ENCOURAGES the Member States of this Initiative to accord AU all the cooperation required to ensure the success of the efforts invested;
DECIDES to declare “2014-2024 AS THE MADIBA NELSON MANDELA DECADE OF RECONCILIATION IN AFRICA” and in this regard, CALLS ON the Commission to take appropriate measures to promote reconciliation as a means of securing peace, stability and development in Africa; as well as to also take appropriate steps in collaboration with Member States to promote the lessons learnt from his indelible legacy in the areas of truth, reconciliation and peace building.