Main Conclusions of the Conference on Exchanges of views on the crises on the Sahel

 

 

 

 

General

The Conference was organized by the Malian political party Parena in Bamako on 10 / 11 December 2011

Participants included:  members of the Malian parliament, representatives of regional Councils, mayors and cities council members from Mali northern regions, delegates from political parties from Burkina Faso, Chad, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal, the Niger High authority to consolidate peace well as Gerdes from Mauritania.

Also in attendance were: former Malian Prime Ministers and Cabinet members, members of the PM Office, the Speaker of Mali parliament, Mali Minister of Foreign Affairs, visiting delegations from the UN and the AU and journalists.

Messages from the Speaker, Burkina Faso, and the Chairmen of the Congress for Democracy and Progress CDP, and the UNIR, all from Burkina, were delivered.

A message of support from Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, President of the Centre for Strategies and Security in the Sahel Sahara,Centre4s, was delivered from the Podium.

Discussion

Participants were presented a Report from a Malian parliamentarian mission after their visit to combatants returning from Libya.

The substantive discussion was about: a) the general situation in the region following the crisis in Libya; b) regional cooperation to ensure better control of the insecurity in the Sahel Sahara; c) role of political parties, communities’ leaders, elected representatives from local communities and civil society delegates in the fight against insecurity in the region.

Comprehensive exchanges on Aqim local activities within the villages as well as the absence of government authorities in the Northern provinces were largely debated.

Participants also discussed the impact of the Libyan crisis on the Sahel. These include: the return of large flows of migrants workers; the return of former Kaddafi armed combatants, more sophisticated weapons in the region.

Consensus on the following

Participants agreed that the resolution of the crisis in the Sahel requires effective association of community leaders, elected officials, political parties and representatives of civil society organizations.

They call for emergency meetings, within and between local communities, in the Malian northern and western Sahelian provinces. These meetings should be followed by a forum at national level to debate the crises.

Participants expressed their desire for more attention to be given development issues from governments of the Sahel and from the larger international community. They made a recommendation for the integrated development of the Sahel provinces.They also recognized that the transnational dimension of the crisis calls for an adequate and integrated regional response;

In the fight against Aqim, participants called for the association of Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Morocco, and Nigeria to the so called frontline states.They also underlined that effective sub regional cooperation requires that each state takes appropriate measures to ensure security within its own territory.

Participants share the opinion that the lack of trust between neighbors is an obstacle to a successful regional cooperation and they invited concerned states to ensure a better understanding among themselves

They invited the new Libyan Authorities as well as the international community to establish a new mechanism of cooperation to help follow up the consequences of the Libyan crisis on that country southern neighbors

They insisted that sub regional cooperation should not be confined to security alone. It should have a development dimension involve political parties and administrative authorities on the international borders

Participants made a clear distinction between Aqim and those involved in the various forms of traffics on the one hand and those armed returnees from Libya on the other hand. While the former needs a firm response, dialogue is recommended to deal with the problems posed by the armed returnees.

They launched an appeal to these armed combatants now regrouped in the northern Malian mountains to engage in dialogue with the government to ensure peace and stability in the Sahel

Proposals

To give priority to conflict prevention .

In the confrontation with Aqim and other crisis elements, to establish a better communication policy –about tolerant and peaceful Islam

To assess the implementation of the past peace agreements: National Pacte and Algiers (NB from Centre4s: Agreement signed by Mali central governments and northern rebel)

To assess the activities of Tamanrasset based Joint Military Committee (NB from Centre4s: composed of Algeria, Mali Mauritania and Niger)

To reinforce decentralization and promote negotiation, these two being the basis from which to promote youth integration through jobs creation

To promote common borders and crisis management policy. To implement development projects inspired by local communities.

To provide national security forces with the necessary resources to fight Aqim and various traffics

Decision

Participants agreed to establish a Forum for Political Parties and Civil Societies Organizations.

The next meeting of the Forum will be organized by the PNDS Tarayya in the next six months in Niamey.