UN should assist ECOWAS in conflict resolution

Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, ECOWAS, Executive Secretary has called for a collaborative effort from the United Nations Security Council in assisting the ECOWAS in the area of conflict resolution and management.

" We believe, indeed, that the Security Council should be collaborating more and more closely with regional organisations in facing certain new challenges to international peace and security."

Dr Chambas was speaking at a meeting of the Security Council and Regional Organisations at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Friday.

It was on the theme " Facing the new Challenges to Peace and Security."

The Executive Secretary said the major challenge facing the sub region over the last decade had been the spate of conflicts, which had weakened already fragile state institutions and had deteriorated human capacities and caused erosion of previous development gains.

He observed that the common denominator in conflict prone areas were the marginalisation of large part of the population, predominantly youth, who were largely uneducated and unemployed who become readily available as recruits for unscrupulous warlords or factional leaders with excessive supply of small arms.

Dr Chambas said ECOWAS had adopted a protocol on Democracy and Good Governance to encourage member states to build up a culture of democracy, respect for human rights, the rule of law and transparent governance as the basis for a stable policy.

He said the ECOWAS had been active in seeking and supporting a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire, which was a threat to the peace and stability of the region, adding that ECOWAS had by mid-March deployed 1,288 peace keeping troops in that country.

He cautioned, however that without ECOWAS peace efforts in the sub region would grind to a halt with no substantial financial support from the United Nations.

" ECOWAS member states will be unable to keep their troops in Cote d'Ivoire at their own expense given the precarious financial situation in the contributing countries."

Dr Chambas said " The United Nations Security Council working closely with ECOWAS, should provide the necessary funds to sustain the operations of the peace mission in Cote d'Ivoire, and avoid the otherwise imminent collapse of the mission."

On Liberia, Dr Chambas said the organization had initiated moves to bring the government of Mr Charles Taylor and the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) into direct talks for a ceasefire.

He said ECOWAS Foreign Ministers had called for an all Liberian roundtable conference involving all registered Political parties, LURD and the government to agree on a comprehensive framework for durable peace and create conditions for a credible free and fair elections later this year and called for UN support in this endeavour.