Conflict prevention through Preventive diplomacy

1. In the course of the year, Member States make requests to COMESA for intervention.
2. During the meetings for Committee on Peace and Security a situation analysis report is usually considered and policy decisions are made during these meetings and are further discussed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs who make recommendations to the Authority

General Decisions

• The MOFA adopted the criteria and rules of procedures for accrediting civil society to the COMESA Programme
• The MOFA requested the secretariat to conduct a quantification study to fully appreciate the overall impact of conflicts in the region in financial terms. The study should also look at the impact of conflicts in terms of other humanitarian factors such as displacement of persons, refugee factor and environmental degradation.
• Member states should endeavor to fund elections in their countries to the greatest extent from their own resources to in order to own the process and should avoid surrendering sovereignty to outsiders during election processes.
• COMESA Member States should include Members of Parliament who are also members of the Pan African Parliament in their delegations to COMESA Policy Organs including the COMESA Summit so as to involve them in the promotion of the COMESA integration agenda which is also a catalyst for peace.

COMESA Member States should

1. Commend Angolan government for its commitment to the peace process and for continuing to make progress in resettlement of internally displaced persons and refugees
2. be more vociferous in appealing to the international community to urgently hold the planned International Donors Conference for Angola
3. take up the issue of hosting refugees as a task for collective responsibility by mobilizing humanitarian support jointly.
4. Sensitize the International Community on the need to be conflict sensitive in their humanitarian assistance by avoiding situations where refugees are made more privileged in terms of amenities than the local population.

COMESA Member States should:

1. Commend the Burundi Transitional Government and Member States of the COMESA region, who have played key roles in bringing the Burundi Peace Process to this current stage, must be commended for their perseverance and commitment to the implementation of the Ceasefire and Peace Agreements.
2. Urge Palipenhutu – FNL of Agathon Rwasa to put an end to the violence and rejoin the negotiations for a lasting solution to the conflict in Burundi.
3. Condemn the atrocities committed by the Palipenhutu – FNL of Agathon Rwasa.
4. Call upon each other to continue rendering maximum support to the peace process to ensure that the intended goals of concluding the transitional period and holding democratic general elections after 1^st November, 2004 are realized. Urge the international community to honour the pledges of financial assistance that was made to the Government of Burundi.
5. Commend Ethiopia, Mozambique and South Africa for the providing troops for peace keeping under the Authority of the African Union.
6. Commend the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) decision to deploy peace keepers COMESA Member States and urge the UNSC to expeditiously deploy the full contingent of the peace keepers in order to strengthen the peace keeping force.
7. Support the process of successfully holding elections in that country through conducting political and civic education campaigns for political leaders and the electorate with a focus on conflict prevention.
8. Commend and encourage the Government and the people of Burundi to uphold it’s commitment to the peace process.
9. Commend the African Union for the role it continues to play in resolving the conflict in Burundi.

COMESA Member States should:

1. pay tribute to all the Comorian Parties and in particular the Government of the Union of the Comoros for having successfully organized peaceful elections, which consequently led to the establishment of government and state institutions such as the National Assembly.
2. pay tribute to the efforts of the Troika, the AU and countries of the region led by South Africa for their efforts.
3. continue to salute the efforts Comorian Parties and the International Community and encourage the parties to respect the agreements to which they have committed themselves.
4. continue to support the Comorian Government in the implementation of macro-economic policies aimed at consolidating her economic growth and fighting against poverty.

COMESA Member States should:

1. Join hands with other countries in the African Union with developed military capabilities to render the necessary human resources in the form of training for officers that will ensure integrated defence forces for the D. R. Congo.
2. Urged D. R. Congo and MONUC to expedite the exercise of disarmament of ex-FAR and the Interahamwe to ensure lasting peace and security.
3. Be called upon to encourage neighbouring states of the D.R. Congo to consolidate their bilateral relations as well as initiate mechanisms for the exchange of information on subversive activities in each other’s territories.

8. urge the government and the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo to resolve their own internal security problems.
9. Urge COMESA Member States and the international community to support the efforts of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in addressing the security situation in the eastern part of D. R. Congo to prevent the ongoing transition process from being disturbed by groups of terrorists, wherever they come from.

Member States of COMESA are called upon to give impetus to UN and African Union efforts aimed at addressing the impasse in the Ethio-Eritrea peace process, by facilitating the process of dialogue between the two countries and the diffusion of the current tension.

COMESA Member States should:

1. Join hands with the international community in mobilizing funds for the peace process to be sustained.
2. Commend the Italian government for their financial, diplomatic and political support.

COMESA Member States should:

1. Taking into account all the measures taken with regard to Darfur conflict, urge all parties to accelerate the process of convening the proposed conference for peace and development in Darfur as one of the indispensable measures for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in line with the communiqué issued by the peace and security council of the African Union on 25^th May 2004.
2. Commend the Government of Sudan and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) for the commitment they have demonstrated in settling the conflict.
3. COMESA Member States should encourage the government of Sudan to use similar commitment as that demonstrated in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in southern Sudan for the Darfur conflict situation.

(d) COMESA Member States should welcome the signing of the three protocols as a major step towards ending the conflict that has been going on for a long time and commend the government of Sudan and the SPLM for signing the three protocols. They should also commend IGAD Member States, and in particular the Republic of Kenya, IGAD friends and IGAD Secretariat, and the United States Government and all those that contributed to the historic achievements.

4. COMESA Member States should assist the Government of Sudan in its efforts at post conflict reconstruction particularly in areas where basic infrastructure has been torn down by the civil war. This shall be seen both as humanitarian assistance, but also revamping of the economy that will ultimately result in higher inter-COMESA trade for the good of all COMESA countries. They should also assist the Government of Sudan and the SPLM to maintain and execute the final peace agreement expected to be signed soon.
5. The violence in Darfur poses a very serious threat to the significant gains that have been made in the peace process in The Sudan. The international community, including Member States of COMESA should support the efforts made by the government of the Republic of Chad, the United Nations, the African Union and the Government of Sudan find a lasting solution to the conflict and thus prevent a looming catastrophe that could derail the peace efforts in that country and cause further insecurity in the region.
6. Urge the parties involved in the conflict in Darfur to settle their differences politically and not militarily.

Decisions on Uganda

COMESA Member states should:

(a) Condemn in the strongest possible terms the atrocities committed against innocent civilians by Kony’s Lord Resistance Army.

(b) Support the government of Uganda in ending the violence in Northern Uganda as well as bringing the rebel leader Kony to justice.

(c) Urged the African Union Peace and Security Council to put the conflict in Northern Ugandan high on its agenda.

7. mobilize humanitarian support from among themselves and the international community to assist the affected residents of northern Uganda.
8. Commend the government of Sudan for facilitating the pursuit of rebels by the government of Uganda inside Sudan.
9. Encourage and give every support to the Ugandan government in seeking peaceful solutions to the conflict. COMESA Member States should also encourage the international community and humanitarian agencies to give more attention to the affected civilian population in northern Uganda who have not been able to carry out any economic activities due to the insecurity.
10. Urge the rebels in northern Uganda to take advantage of the amnesty extended to them by the Ugandan Government.