AU moves to silence guns on continent

LUSAKA: The AU peace and security council has concluded its three-day retreat in Lusaka with the adoption of an AU master roadmap on practical steps for silencing the guns in Africa by 2020.

Making his closing statement on Wednesday at the end of the retreat, ambassador Chalwe Lombe, permanent secretary at the Zambian ministry of foreign affairs, echoed the commitment of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu to strive for a peaceful, integrated and prosperous continent.

“Zambia shall remain committed to the cause of the African Union and the Spirit of Agenda 2063, which spells out our common desire to achieve a peaceful, integrated and prosperous Africa as envisaged by our founders,” Lombe said.

“As a member of the African Union executive council, I am looking forward to mobilising support for the roadmap to get the full support of our heads of state and government in January 2017,” he added.

Selfless

In conveying the message of the AU commissioner for peace and security, ambassador Smail Chergui, the acting director for peace and security, Admore Kambudzi, praised the participants for their commitment to the process of developing the master road map.

Chergui noted that it was evident their efforts during the retreat were not calculated to gain recognition or reward. Instead, they were a demonstration of their selfless desire to transform this ambitious goal into practical actions at national, regional and continental levels, he said.

“Your commitment in coming up with a working and implementable document that addresses our peace and security challenges demonstrates your resolve to chart the course for our future generations and leave behind a legacy of peace.”

The retreat brought together all 15 members of the AU peace and security council, participants from the regional economic communities and regional mechanisms for conflict prevention, management and resolution, the economic, social and cultural council and African civil society organisations, through an inclusive and collaborative approach to confronting common peace and security challenges on the continent.

Briefing the press at the close of the retreat, the retreat chairman, ambassador Osman Kamara of Sierra Leone, said that over the last decade conflict has continued to cause immense destruction in Africa.

He added that the road map emanating from the retreat laid out practical steps for ending these conflicts and tackling emerging threats, such as proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons, transnational organised crime, drug and human trafficking, terrorism, piracy and climate change, and other persistent threats to peace and security on the continent.

“Based on these trends and with the adoption of the AU master road map as a driver of African peace, security and economic development, it is possible to envision an Africa in which violent conflict is to be effectively eliminated by the year 2020,” Kamara said. – ANA