Regional Reconciliation in Africa

Prof Tim MurithiHead of Africa ProgrammeInstitute for Justice and Reconciliation, Cape Town

Extraordinary Professor of African Studies, Centre for AfricanStudies, University of Free State, South Africa

Senior Associate, Centre for Mediation, University of Pretoria

tmurithi@ijr.org.za; tkmurithi@hotmail.com

Regional Reconciliation in AfricaSummary:• intra-state conflicts with regional dimensions• regional conflict systems

• Examples – Somalia/Kenya conflict system;• Al Shabaab; Boko Haram; AQIM; ISIS-affiliated• Northern Uganda Lord’s Resistance Army; South Sudan conflict dynamic; Mali, CAR• Eastern DRC –armed militia; Burundi crisis; Rwanda• Forgotten conflicts with regional dimensions – Cabinda; Caprivi; Casamance• Efforts at regional peace processes

• The case for regional reconciliation• Mechanisms and institutions for regional reconciliation• The limits of regional reconciliation • Policy Recommendations

Contextualizing Transitional Justice and Understanding Reconciliation

Transitional Justice• Dealing with the Past – through • truth recovery• justice – restorative and retributive aspects• reparation – symbolic or restitutive• institutional reform – government; judiciary• memorialization; education; transformation;• Gender inclusivity – understanding of how TJprocesses impact on women and men differently

Understanding Reconciliation Approaches

• Notions of justice and reconciliation can be locally specific and culturally defined

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Understanding Reconciliation Approaches• Five stages of the peace and reconciliation process found among most societies:

1) acknowledgement of guilt – truth telling; 2) showing remorse and repenting; 3) asking for and giving forgiveness; and 4) paying compensation or reparation; 5) a basis for reconciliation

• National Reconciliation - common understanding• Community Reconciliation – localised and communal process

• The challenge of regional conflict systems - how do we address cross-border violations and the need for redress?

Regional Conflict Systems• IR - regionalism “in terms of patterns and networks of interdependence” –illicit trade weapons, drugs, human trafficking• half of violent conflicts in Africa can be linked to conflicts in neighbouring states• Conflicts do not stop at the border, but in fact spill over – cascading and ripple effects• DRC, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya/Somalia, ZimbabweRegional Dimensions of the Somali Conflict• 1991 - fragmented Somalia’s sovereign structure• neighbouring countries intervened ostensibly to address their own self-defined national interests• UN, AMISOM – Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, historically Ethiopia/Islamic Courts Union • 21 September 2013 – Westgate Mall attack• April 2015 – Garissa, 147 massacred• need cross-border reconciliation between Kenya and Somalia

Towards a Notion of Regional Reconciliation• Reality of cross-border violations and the need for cross-border redress • applying a regional lens to reconciliation• how can reconciliation also take place across borders

• Three aspects of regional reconciliation:• war-affected states and communities in close proximity to each other recognize their regional interdependence• genuine regional dialogue, based on a democratic attitude• address the legacies of socio-economic exploitation – regional economic development

• Formal Regional Reconciliation Processes and Mechanisms•Informal Regional Reconciliation Processes and Mechanisms•Trauma and Psycho-Social Support for Regional Reconciliation Processes – across borders? A challenge!

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Fledgling Regional Peace Initiatives• UN-brokered Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC • United Nations Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) • Pan-African Cross-border prosecution – •Special Tribunal for Sierra Leone; AU Extraordinary Chambers in Senegal - Hissene Habre case• International Examples of Cross-border Redress• Tony Blair apologized for the Irish potato Famine/ Japanese reparations to Korean ‘comfort women’ / Germany reparations to Israel• US firms SA apartheid victims

Infrastructure for Regional Reconciliation• Regional institutions are necessary to oversee regional or cross-border reconciliation processes• AU, IGAD, ECOWAS, ICGLR, SADC, EAC, COMESA

Infrastructure for Regional Reconciliation• Great Lakes Regional Reconciliation Commission• Horn of Africa Regional Reconciliation Commission•Southern Africa Regional Reconciliation Commission• African Union PSC; Panel of the Wise; CEWS; MSC

• civil society organisations nevertheless pursue cross-border regional reconciliation initiatives

Functions of the Infrastructure for Regional Reconciliation• Monitoring; media and outreach• Capacitating Regional Reconciliation Mechanisms

Regional Reconciliation in Practice• “reconciliation” across borders still remains uncharted territory for states and inter-governmental organizations

Regional Reconciliation in Practice • military and intelligence sectors are also struggling to introduce a regional security and intelligence approach• African Standby Force (ASF) – 2016/7 operationalisation?•regional coordination is a necessity not a luxury

• Fostering regional reconciliation requires a more innovative approach

The Limits of Regional Reconciliation• Border restrictions and perpetrators evading justice by hiding in other countries• In terms of policy we should not fall into a trap of •"Unable to see the trees for the forest"It is necessary to pursue Pan-African policy coherence on this notion of regional reconciliation – otherwise there will be consequences…

Consequences of our inability to innovateour approaches to regional reconciliation

• • • • • • • • geo-political instability; • political tension; armed militia formation; mobilization through and Triumph of extremist ideology

Regional Reconciliation in AfricaProf Tim MurithiHead of Africa ProgrammeInstitute for Justice and ReconciliationCape Town, South Africa

Extraordinary Professorof African Studies, UFS

Senior AssociateCentre for MediationUniversity of Pretoria

tmurithi@ijr.org.zatkmurithi@hotmail.comwww.ijr.org.za Twitter: @tmurithi12