| Overcoming war, rebuilding nations
Africa is a continent in conflict. From the Ivory Coast to the Horn of Africa and points in between, armed conflicts are making headlines in the West. One of the more recent and deadly flash points happened along the 600-mile border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Common Ground Producer Kristin McHugh discussed the conflict with Mohamed Sahnoun, a special adviser to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and a man who has played a key role in negotiating an end to the two-year Ethiopian-Eritrean war. Ambassador Sahnoun says, unlike many of Africa's conflicts, ethnic differences are not the main reason behind the battle for land between the two countries.
Sahnoun
Eritrea for a long time had fought for independence from Ethiopia. It was one of the provinces of Ethiopia. But they always felt that they had their own kind of identity, their own kind of history. And it was a long, protracted guerrilla war. Finally, when the former regime, Mengistu in Addis Ababa, was overthrown, the people who took over were good friends with the Eritreans and gave them independence. But then gradually there were some misunderstandings of exactly what would be the shape of the relationship between the two.
To some extent, I think on the Ethiopian side, they were thinking that Eritrea would be part of the same customary union, the same monetary union, the same economic union, and therefore that they would cooperate and work closely together. Especially that Ethiopia needed the ports—they have no outlet to the sea—and they needed the Eritrean ports.
When Eritrea decided to coin [its] own currency...it looked that they were very clearly now detaching themselves from Ethiopia. And then there were some tensions on the border. Really at the beginning, too, trade issues, economic issues, and then with the intervention of military units on the border, it became the conflict which started slowly, but then had terrible proportions.
What makes this conflict different than other wars or conflicts in Africa, say in Sierra Leone or the Congo?
Sahnoun
The conflicts occurring today in Africa—Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, even Somalia, and so on—are conflicts which...are part of the process of the building of...a modern nation-state. We are [now] seeing these countries and these people now speaking about governance, now putting questions concerning human rights. And, therefore, we have strife. [It is] part of the process. But this war between Ethiopia and Eritrea is a war between two countries. It's a decision of the leaderships. It's not the people. And that's what makes it very unacceptable.
On June 18, 2000, Ethiopia and Eritrea jointly pledged to stop fighting what many termed a useless war. The agreement, however, is not an unconditional cease-fire. Instead, it only calls for cessation of hostilities. Although the accord doesn't guarantee a lasting peace, Sahnoun is hopeful both countries are committed to moving beyond the two-year conflict.
Sahnoun
There is...now some very good hope for peace. Earlier on there was actually no cease-fire. There [was] an attempt to have a cease-fire, but there was no sign of [a] cease-fire since the beginning of the conflict. There were negotiations—a couple of times there were documents which were submitted by the OAU [Organization of African Unity], which were accepted by both sides, but were never signed. So we hope this time that we might have reached a serious agreement.
Are you hopeful that Africa will become a very peaceful continent in the future?
Sahnoun
Yes, actually I always tell what we call the Afro-pessimists [that] for the first time we're seeing the people in Africa really coming with questions to their government.... And really questioning their governments much more than before. We see in some countries where the process is already very encouraging. We have seen democratic elections in Senegal [and] Nigeria. There are countries which are showing stability, such as Ghana, Mali, South Africa, Mozambique, and so on. So there are countries which are really showing a good governance and democratic—and also economic—development, but there is a need for more assistance to be given.
Over the last ten years, development assistance has gone down by 20 percent. At a time where they need assistance, this assistance is going down.
While the West focuses its attention on Africa's war zones, Mozambique and South Africa are on the road to recovery. Both nations, while emerging from conflict, still face an uncertain future. Common Ground Producer Kristin McHugh discussed the so-called "African Renaissance" with Carlos dos Santos, the permanent representative of the Republic of Mozambique, and Dumisani Kumalo, the permanent representative of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations.
dos Santos
It's the coming into being of real democracy in Africa. The president of South Africa actually has used the term African Renaissance, and he has written a book about it. And he is seeing Africa, like all leaders in Africa, seeing Africa resolving the conflicts within the continent and actually initiating development of all countries within the context of African unity. [We] are hoping that that will sustain democracy in Africa.
Kumalo
The path of democracy is still going on. Mozambique just had their successful election; Namibia has had elections. So really it's the path of democracy [that] is going on, but it is also true we have two of the major problems in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone. So that's what makes it seem like there is a reversing in the growth of democracy.
Would you say then that perhaps the Western media is focusing too much on the negative and not the positive in Africa?
dos Santos
Definitely. They always focus on the negative. I think it is the way the media works. They consider the bad news the best news to give. But that also is evolving. Some news organizations are also giving some positive developments, and we would encourage them to do more of that.
The United States is viewed as the one remaining superpower in the world, and therefore many countries around the world feel that the United States has a responsibility to help the hot spots of the world. Does South Africa have a responsibility in Africa to bring development to the rest of the continent?
Kumalo
No, our first responsibility is to the region of Southern Africa. [We] see ourselves as a part of the region of Southern Africa, the Southern Development Community. And our economy is intertwined with what's happening in Southern Africa. [In] Zimbabwe, we now have the issue of the farmers and people invading their farms. It's affecting the economy in South Africa. So we first see ourselves as a country of Southern Africa, and then a country of Africa.
Does Mozambique feel that South Africa has a responsibility?
dos Santos
[We] believe that each country of the subregion has a responsibility in relation to the subregion. Just as any country within the continent of Africa has a responsibility towards the continent. And we see South Africa as the one country that is endowed with resources, much more development than other countries. And the good thing that has happened is that with the change of regime in South Africa, with the whole change of the apartheid system, we find the leadership there that is willing to work within the context of the subregion...and within the context of the continent, to promote Africa as a whole. And this is very positive.
—Excerpted by Kristin McHugh
NOV 2000 |
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