[ Interview with Abubakari Iddrisu Saeed ]

Instability transcends borders

What is threating peace and stability in West Africa?
West Africa has had to contend with the impact of a series of conflicts of monumental proportion for over a decade. Many of these conflicts have been characterised by extreme violence against civilians and large scale displacement of populations. In some conflicts, civilians were not just casualties of war, but deliberately chosen as victims of atrocious human rights abuses. The conflicts arose from domestic social and political upheavals. Today, the threat to peace and instability in West Africa is manifold. Internal factors include poverty, lack of equal economic opportunity, ethnic animosity, a history of abuse of political power and of corruption. External factors include the intervention of other countries and a host of non-state actors. Moreover, profiteers such as diamond, timber and arms traffickers also fuel conflicts.

What do you consider the single greatest threat?
In my view, that is poverty. When people are hungry and desperate, the promise of money or material resources can entice them to perpetrate any kind of violence. West Africa is reported to contain 11 of the world’s 20 poorest states according to the UNDP’s Human Development Report of 2001.

What can and must non-governmental organisations do to prevent crises?
NGOs can and must do the following to prevent crises:
– Organise programmes aimed at disarming armed civilians, demobilising and reintegrating all paramilitary and even some of the military troops in countries emerging from violent conflicts;
– sensitise and lobby governments to ratify and implement all protocols such as the Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons to minimise the proliferation of weapons;
– monitor early warning signs in order to be able to proactively prevent petty squabbles from escalating into full blown conflicts;
– act as advocats for empowering communities;
– campaign against the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons;
– build capacity at community, national and sub-regional levels on peace building, conflict resolution and transition – including training journalists, turning them into capable reporters;
– start training programmes and dialogue with governments and state institutions to promote good governance; and
– network and cooperate with each other to share resources and expertise as well as avoid duplication of interventions.
We must also bare in mind that situations – including those of tension – are interrelated across borders. The instability of one country can trigger instability in a neighbouring one.

How can NGOs become active across borders?
We can collaborate and network accross borders. Some NGOs have the capacity to fund branch offices in a number of countries. Others have offices in one country, but operate in several others as well. It is important that NGOs reach out across borders – after all, the threats to peace and stability are also international.

How do preventive activities by NGOs relate to government agencies?
Many governments in the sub-region consider NGOs development partners today. In other words, governments understand that activities of NGOs complement what needs to be delivered to the people, especially those in the rural communities. In Ghana for example, many NGOs have been assisted financially in organising programmes to curtail the spread of HIV/AIDS. There is collaboration between state institutions and NGOs. In this direction, politicians and NGOs jointly commission projects in communities to the benefit of the inhabitants. In some countries however, the activities and projects of some NGOs are frowned on by governments.

In what sense did the InWEnt Development Diplomacy Programme prove helpful for your work?
The experience I acquired at the course is of immense benefit. I was equipped with additional knowledge and skills. The theories and practical lessons I received at the course permeate in our programmes and projects. For instance, I very much appreciate the Training and Education on Small Arms (TRESA) model developed by the Bonn International Centre for Conversion (BICC). It has proved very useful for the Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA). I also improved my negotiation skills.

What do you feel did the civil servants who attended the same course learn?
I think that course participants from the civil service appreciated that there are non-state actors on the global scene. I feel that they probably learned a great deal especially on the role of non-state actors in peacebuilding and transitional justice after violent conflict. This is because the activities of non-state actors transcend international boundaries in the quest to solve local, intra- and inter-state conflicts and crises. During the InWEnt course, participants who were civil servants and non civil servants cooperated closely, which was quite encouraging and positive.

To what extent are governments paying attention to civil society - and how does that vary from one country to another?
Many civil society organisations hold their national government accountable for its actions and inactions. Most tolerant governments consider such criticism a fundamental tenet of democracy, which, of course, depends on an ability to listen to dissenting views and suggestions. Democracy is still in its infant stage in many parts of African. However, some governments are more tolerant to criticisms of civil society than others. There are independent think tanks in many countries in West Africa. These independent organisations comment on what governments are doing, and their interpretation often diverges from the government’s view. Democratic and listening governments take this in good faith while less democratic and listening governments some times arrest and detain the executives of such organisations, or soemtimes even close down their offices. It is refreshing, however, that many counrties’ governments are not as authoritarian anymore as they used to be in the past.

Why is Ghana, your home country, comparatively stable and peaceful?
This has been attributed to the good political leadership of the past and present governments, transparency of government and a robust security organisation among others. Moreover, Ghana recognises the need for good neighbourliness apart from the normal co-operation with her neighbours as a member of the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS). The government therefore relates well with those countries bordering Ghana and beyond. The military and other security agencies assist civil authorities in various spheres of national interest. They are proactive and act before threats to peace and stability get out of control. The political and administrative decentralisation system makes it possible for every Ghanaian to participate in the political process of the country.

But Ghana did not always enjoy democratic rule.
No, but ever since the return to democratic rule in 1992, the country has moved increasingly towards consolidating and strengthening liberal democratic principles and processes. There is also a National Governance Forum organised annually by the Government of Ghana. This provides a platform for civil society organisations, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, the private sector and other stakeholders to discuss and find solutions to improve governance in all institutions of the state. The existence of the law enforcement agencies such as the Judiciary, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, the Police and the Serious Fraud Office are some of the agencies in Ghana that protect the citizen against gross violation of the right of the individual.

Questions by Hans Dembowski.