The meeting titled “Processes in Africa: Prospects for Sustainable Agreements to End Conflicts” took place on February 14, 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Organized by Chatham House and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), it coincided with the 38th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.
Prominent figures including H.E Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, participated in the event. Dr. Touray discussed ECOWAS's extensive experience in peace agreements across West Africa, specifically highlighting Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, and Gambia. He identified key challenges such as the belief that peace may weaken power, hesitancy among conflicting parties during negotiations, and emphasized the importance of ensuring compliance with agreements.
Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas shared insights from peace negotiations in Mozambique and suggested involving youth and women in conflict resolution processes. He also stressed harmonizing peace approaches and prioritizing conflict prevention through early warning systems.
Professor Ibrahim Gambari addressed budgetary allocations favoring conflict resolution over prevention. He advocated for prioritizing agreements and justice processes while addressing root causes of conflicts with skilled mediators.
The African Union’s “Silence the Guns” initiative under Agenda 2063 aims to end conflicts to secure economic prosperity and sustainable development across Africa. However, since 2013, active state conflicts have nearly doubled from 15 to 28.
The meeting drew on findings from a joint Chatham House-UNDP research project titled “Lesson Learned,” which evaluated factors affecting peace sustainability on the continent. Discussions highlighted the roles of the AU and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in achieving successful outcomes with contributions from key partners.
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