Zambian VP underscores importance of addressing root cause of strife in Africa

Addressing structural and root causes of strife in a comprehensive manner will prevent conflicts from breaking out in Africa, Zambia’s Vice President Mutale Nalumango said Tuesday.

Nalumango said the experience has shown that while efforts to address violence and conflicts could result in the signing of peace agreements and in the cessation of hostilities, the efforts were not sustainable and the structural factors remain unresolved.

In remarks delivered at the start of the Eighteenth Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) ahead of the 22nd COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit which will open Thursday, Nalumango said while the COMESA region has made tremendous progress toward peace, it was unfortunate that other parts of Africa were still facing conflicts.

She said it would be impossible to realize meaningful economic development in Africa in the absence of peace and security. “Therefore, it is in COMESA’s interest to ensure that peace prevails at all times because instability anywhere on the continent is instability everywhere,” she said.

Nalumango, however, expressed happiness that various efforts were being undertaken in conflict-prone areas of Africa to find lasting solutions and expressed optimism that the efforts will yield positive results. She called on participants of the meeting to provide guidance that will resolve all other outstanding issues towards entrenching democratic principles and addressing issues that threaten regional peace, security and economic development.

She also stressed crucial challenges such as economic downturns, adverse effects of climate change, social exclusion and increased unemployment must be addressed early as a precursor to eliminating conditions that escalate conflicts.

COMESA Secretary-General Chileshe Kapwepwe expressed happiness over the progress being made to address conflicts in some parts of Africa such as Libya and Ethiopia. She however expressed concerns over the escalated fighting in Sudan, adding that the conflicts in Sudan were worrying as it was a founding member of COMESA.

“As a regional body we are concerned over any renewed escalation that could result in spill-over effects and thus have a devastating impact on the whole region,” she said. Enditem