African leaders urged to sustain peace
The Former Deputy Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Brigadier General Benjamin Freeman Kusi, has underscored the need for African leaders to institute proactive mechanisms to sustain peace rather than taking their current peaceful environments for granted.
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At the annual peace symposium of the Rotary Club of Accra, Brig. Gen. Kusi said many of the conflicts and human rights violations could have been avoided if developments had been analysed properly and appropriate measures taken.
He added that most countries had experienced conflicts, civil wars, religious contention and human rights violations because they took things for granted.
That, he noted, had resulted in loss of lives, human suffering and waste of resources that had adversely affected development in the country.
Preventive diplomacy
The symposium, dubbed “Preventive Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution,” was aimed at bringing out ideas and issues regarding peace in the sub-region and Ghana.
He said Africa had made significant progress in the quest to attain peace, development and stability in the past years.
The speaker touched on the causes and resolutions of conflicts among people and countries and added that preventive diplomacy was the best tool in resolving issues among individuals or countries.
“Preventive diplomacy will promote the exchange of information, stronger collaboration and quicker reaction to threats before they degenerate into crisis,” he said.
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That, he said, was the surest way to achieve socio-economic development and sustainable peace.
Strengthen laws
According to Brig. Gen. Kusi, the laws in the country, including bye-laws, should be enforced without fear or favour to have disciplined citizens.
He acknowledged the critical role of a responsible clergy for national peace and development.
He commended the National Peace Council (NPC) for its immense support in ensuring and managing crises in the country, especially during the last presidential election.
Resolving conflicts
In his closing remarks, the Chairman of the peace symposium of Accra Rotary, Ambassador James Aggrey-Orleans, said currently there were lots of intra and inter-personal conflicts which needed attention.
He said people were going through all kinds of conflicts and stress, adding that the African Peer Review Mechanism must step up its performance in conflict resolution.