PEDRO UGARTE/AFP PEDRO A Somalian girl carries water in a Mogadishu street BY HUSSEIN SOLOMON EDITORIAL On Monday, 28 May 2001, heavy mor- the mutineers, and that they were also supported tar and gunfire broke the stillness of by 300 mercenaries. On the other hand, President the night in Bangui, capital of the Patasse was supported by Libyan president, OCentral African Republic (CAR). The Muammar Gaddafi, who sent troops and two mili- commotion began when a rebellious army unit tary helicopters. President Patasse was also sup- attacked the home of President Ange-Felix ported by fighters loyal to Jean-Pierre Bemba’s Patasse. Within two days, it became clear that Ugandan-backed Front for the Liberation of forces loyal to the elected government had sup- Congo -these fighters crossed the Oubangui River pressed the coup attempt. The attempted coup in in barges from the Democratic Republic of the the CAR holds important lessons, for both policy- Congo (DRC). These developments point to the makers and academics, which go far beyond a fact that national conflicts exist within the context simplistic analysis that points to poor civil-mili- of various regional and sub-regional conflict sys- tary relations on the African continent. tems, and that these conflicts need to be Firstly, the attempted coup underlines the approached within that context. inherent complexity that is typical of many of Thirdly, it once again underscores the hiatus Africa’s conflicts - characterised by a large mea- between early warning and early response. As sure of interdependence between various sources early as 11 January 2001, United Nations (UN) of insecurity. Thus, it would seem that those who secretary-general, Mr Kofi Annan, warned of the participated in the attempted coup hailed from the deteriorating situation within the CAR. In his southern Yakoma tribe, which provided most of the report to the UN Security Council, the secretary- armed forces prior to the mutinies during the early general noted that the country ‘was gripped by 1990s. President Patasse, on the other hand, is political crisis, mired in social tension and under- from one of the Sara ethnic groups that originates pinned by a fragile economy.’ Despite ample warn- from the savannah north region. Thus, civil-mili- ing, the international community has done little to tary relations and the politics of identity - both prevent the looming crisis. By ignoring such early regional and ethnic - seem to coalesce. For the warning signals, the international community is conflict resolution practitioner, this implies that placing greater emphasis on conflict management, such conflicts need to be approached holistically, rather than on conflict prevention. Proactive mea- in order to understand the subtle nuances that con- sures are eschewed in favour of reactive ones. In tribute to conflicts being labelled ‘intractable’. the process, human lives are lost. As any medical The second lesson that one could draw from practitioner knows, prevention is better than cure. the attempted CAR coup, is that much of Africa’s Consequently, it is imperative that the interna- conflicts are regionalised and, increasingly, inter- tional community place greater emphasis on con- nationalised. President Patasse’s government flict prevention, rather than dealing with the con- alleges that two Rwandan generals helped lead sequences of an escalating conflict. 3 TRENDS TRENDS ODD ANDERSEN/AFP which includes constructing a public sector in the the perpetuation thereof. Striking public servants lis- absence of both human and financial resources - In addition to these challenges, the public ten to Secretary-General add new dimensions to the challenges. sector has to deal with national, regional and of Conference of South The common challenges identified below are global phenomena, which can further compound African Trade Unions he public sector challenges within southern place within the context of important economic not intended to be an exhaustive list - they merely reconstruction and development initiatives. These (COSATU) Zwelinzima Africa ,1 together with global trends, have and governmental changes. These changes are display the extent of these challenges: phenomena could also threaten democracy. These Vavi speaking on the created territories of conflict that require underway in some southern African countries. For • The challenge of representing a diverse range challenges refer to the relationship between the lawn in front of the Union urgent intervention. Conflict resolution pro- example, structural adjustment programmes of people public sector and regionalisation; HIV/AIDS; pri- Building in Pretoria, 24 T August 1999. The march grammes must be implemented in order to prevent (SAP’s) have been set up between certain coun- • Managing international trends aimed at ratio- vatisation; ethnicity; globalisation; and religion. drew between 30,000 the democratic gains in these countries - and the tries; regionalisation within some countries has nalising and restructuring the public sector These challenges represent potential areas for and 40,000 overall region - from being reversed. started taking place; and external factors, such as • Allocating resources that are scarce conflict, and require dialogue. teachers, nurses and off- Since the public sector consists of institutions globalisation, have started to take effect. New • Facilitating state democratisation through What is the challenge for conflict duty police officers and through which governments deliver services to partnerships with non-state actors - such as the initiatives such as decentralised governance went to the Union communities, they have a primary responsibility private sector, communities and civil society - are • Changing structures and styles of management resolution practitioners in terms of Building demanding in post-conflict reconstruction initiatives. Of also likely to be forged through the implementa- • Developing human resources the role of the public sector in post- higher wages. course, international development organisations tion of governance. • Challenges associated with transforming ser- conflict reconstruction initiatives? also have a role to play in this regard, particularly The consequential economic and political vice delivery in order to redress past imbal- in post-conflict situations. The restructuring of changes that the public sector will experience, will ances and meet current needs Conflict resolution practitioners need to explore institutions such as the public sector, becomes impact on conflict generation (and the manifesta- • Lack of service delivery, or the non-delivery programmes that could address the role of the one of the first and foremost challenges for post- tion thereof) within this institution and others. of civil society expectations public sector in terms of post-conflict reconstruc- conflict countries. By virtue of its central role in Hence, there are new challenges for Africa’s con- • Inefficient delivery of services tion initiatives. In this way, our interventions strengthening democratic initiatives, the public flict resolution initiatives. Consequently, preven- These challenges pose a mammoth task for would adopt a more holistic approach. sector has to contend with numerous reconstruc- tion, management and transformation initiatives any new, young or developing democracy which Notwithstanding the belief that reform and recon- tion and development challenges. within these territories will need to be explored. does not have the necessary experience, or the struction of the public sector is technical, devel- These challenges - in conjunction with the capacity in terms of human and financial opments in the field continue to emphasise that nature, history, structure and function of a partic- What are the reconstruction and resources. In addition, these challenges also cre- the process is political and conflictual - rather ular country’s public sector - make this institution development challenges that face ate territories for conflict. than technical - in nature. Consequently, when prone to conflict. In some Sub-Saharan countries, the public sector? Conflicts within the public sector relate to the formulating reconstruction initiatives and inter- conflicts within the public sector have threatened two levels at which reconstruction and develop- ventions, conflict resolution practitioners must young democracies, slowed down reconstruction The reconstruction and development challenges ment takes place. Firstly, sites of conflict are take into account these new trends - this is and development programmes, and have ham- that face public sectors in southern African are gen- found within the public sector because it is absolutely essential if lasting and sustainable pered the advancement of countries, as well as the erally not dissimilar to those experienced globally. involved in representing a diverse range of peo- solutions are to become a reality on the African region in which they are located. Transforming this structure into an efficient and ple, rationalisation and structural changes. continent. In addition to serving as institutions through effective institution, capable of providing desper- Secondly, conflict occurs between the public sec- Endnotes which governance is implemented, the public sec- ately needed public services to the communities tor and civil society as a result of transforming tor is expected to take up a central role in the they serve, is a global phenomenon. However, the service delivery to meet the