December 2013 www.un.org/africarenewal The Sahel Time for global action African peer reviews: home-made solutions The rise of South Africa’s middle class CONTENTS December 2013 | Vol. 27 No. 3 5 SPECIAL FEATURE GOOD GOVERNANCE Peer review mechanism comes of age 6 Interview: A vision of an integrated Africa 10 The rise of civil society groups in Africa Piracy in West Africa 12 UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson plants 14 Illicit financial flows from Africa a tree in memory of 15 people who died in an 16 Interview: Africa loses $50bn every year attack on the UN country compound in Mogadishu, Somalia. AU/UN IST Photo/Stuart Price 18 Giving back to society ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 20 A messenger of peace and development goes to the Sahel Editor-in-Chief 22 The Sahel: One region, many crises Masimba Tafirenyika 24 Zimbabwe: Reaching for new heights 26 A toast to South Africa’s black middle class Staff Writers Kingsley Ighobor 28 Elephants are the latest conflict resource André-Michel Essoungou 30 Music can change the world Research & Media Liaison Pavithra Rao DEPARTMENTS Nirit Ben-Ari Tsigue Shiferaw 3 Watch 33 Wired Design & Production 34 Appointments Mulumba Lwatula 35 Books Administration Bo Li Cover photo: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and AUC Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini- Zuma at a press briefing during their visit to Africa’s Sahel region. World Bank/Dominic Chavez Distribution Atar Markman Africa Renewal is published in English and French organizations. Articles from this magazine may be by the Strategic Communications Division of the freely reprinted, with attribution to the author and United Nations Department of Public Information. to “United Nations Africa Renewal,” and a copy Its contents do not necessarily reflect the views of of the reproduced article would be appreciated. Africa Renewal is published by the United the United Nations or the publication’s supporting Copyrighted photos may not be reproduced. Nations, New York, on recycled paper. Address correspondence to: Subscribe to Africa Renewal The Editor, Africa Renewal Africa Renewal offers free subscriptions to Room S-1032 individual readers. Please send your request to www.un.org/africarenewal United Nations, NY 10017-2513, USA, Circulation at the address to the left or by e-mail to Tel: (212) 963-6857, Fax: (212) 963-4556 [email protected]. Institutional subscriptions facebook.com/africarenewal are available for thirty-five US dollars, payable by international money order or a cheque in US dollars E-mail: [email protected] drawn on a US bank, to the “United Nations” and twitter.com/africarenewal sent to Circulation at the address to the left. 2 AfricaRenewal December 2013 AFRICA WATCH In response, two political processes were initiated: a wide-ranging peace and security agreement among the countries of the region (DRC, Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia), and peace talks in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, between the DRC government and M23 leaders. During its visit the Council delegation was updated by regional leaders on the implementation of the agreement, and on the progress of the peace talks. On both issues the Council urged the leaders not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Unlike previous agreements, this one must be followed by action, it reportedly told presidents Joseph Kabila of the DRC, Paul Security Council delegation being briefed during its visit Goma, DRC. UN Photo/Sylvain Liechti Kagame of Rwanda and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda. to flee their homes, mainly in the eastern On the Kampala talks, speaking to the On a visit to region of the Democratic Republic of the press in Kinshasa on behalf of the delega- Congo (DRC). tion, the Security Council representa- Africa’s Great The visit came three years after tives of Morocco and France insisted that another Council trip to the same region the past provides clear lessons about the Lakes region, that had modest ambitions: just a two- consequences of integrating armed groups country visit to the DRC and Uganda. into national armies without rigorous Council urges This time, however, after stops in these vetting. They warned against repeating two countries, the delegation went on to such mistakes. In the Council’s view, they break with past Rwanda before heading farther east to added, there could be no compromise on Ethiopia, which hosts the African Union fighting impunity—no amnesty should By André-Michel Essoungou headquarters. be granted to M23 members who have The Council’s busy agenda was an committed serious crimes. ive months after United Nations acknowledgement that a solution to the On the last leg of their visit, the F Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and persisting instability in the Great Lakes Council members visited the African World Bank President Jim Yong Kim region requires the active engagement Union headquarters in Addis Ababa. In visited Africa’s Great Lakes region, a and the commitment of key regional addition to addressing the situation in the 15-member delegation of the UN Security actors. On various occasions over the Great Lakes region, they held discussions Council followed suit. The delega- past years, the Council has indeed urged with AU officials on a wide range of issues tion travelled to the region from 4 to 8 countries of the region to find a peaceful related to peace and security in Africa. October and met with political leaders solution to the instability plaguing the and local activists, displaced persons and DRC, mainly in the east. The latest such refugees, as well as UN peacekeepers and calls came shortly after the M23 armed diplomats. group—allegedly supported by Rwanda, Oil politics heats The visit was an attempt by the though Rwanda strongly denies this— Council to get a better grasp of the took up arms against the DRC govern- up in Liberia complexities of a region where insta- ment, plunging the region into one of its bility has persisted over the past two worst episodes of instability in recent By Kingsley Ighobor decades, with a new peak in fighting years. The M23 rebels were expected to seen in recent months. Since April 2012 sign a peace deal with the government in hen Liberia’s 14-year civil war and the creation of the March 23 armed November after suffering defeats at the W was ending 10 years ago, citizens movement (known as the M23), renewed hands of government forces backed by a desperately wanted to live in a country fighting has forced up to 2 million people 3,000-strong UN intervention brigade. where children could go to school safely, AfricaRenewal December 2013 3 women were not molested, traders trav- Silas Siakor, head of the Sustainable elled between cities, and so on. Today, Development Institute, a Liberian NGO with those goals mostly met, the country that promotes judicious exploitation of QUOTABLES faces another challenge: that of managing natural resources, criticised Mr. Sirleaf its abundant natural resources, particu- for not consulting widely. “They [Mr. larly oil that was discovered in 2012. Sirleaf and his NOCAL colleagues] were With an impressive GDP growth of totally opposed to the idea of any kind 10.8% in 2012, according to the World of citizen input [to the bill].” Under Bank, the oil discovery has triggered pressure, Mr. Sirleaf resigned both his both excitement and fear. While oil could position as head of NOCAL and as an potentially accelerate the country’s adviser to the President, claiming that he development, Liberians also remember had completed his mandate to reform the that mismanagement of its forestry, gold oil sector. The House members and the civil society groups believe they have at least won the battle to have government open up the process of drafting the oil 10.8% legislation. On its part, the government Voisard Photo/Amanda UN Growth in Liberia’s launched a nationwide public awareness What we are doing is campaign to explain the details in the Gross Domestic Product creating an environment bills. A key contention in one of the bills in 2012, according to the for women to know they do is over an allocation of 5% of oil proceeds World Bank not need to feel ashamed to Liberians’ social welfare. During [of rape]. To give them back the campaign in Saniquellie, Nimba their dignity, give them back County, citizens demanded that such an their physical and mental and diamonds resources was one of the allocation should be at least 10% of the health, give them the power causes of the last war. Therefore, they proceeds. to know they are strong. advise that all excitement be curtailed They also rejected the president’s Dr. Denis Mukwege, Founder and while the right policies are set. powers to appoint NOCAL board Medical Director of Panzi Hospital, It didn’t seem like the Liberian Senate members, preferring the legislature to Democratic Republic of the Congo heeded such advice when it swiftly exercise such powers. They insisted that passed two oil bills in September: the prospective oil companies be made to One of the things I learned first bill defined the role of the National establish an oil refinery in the country to about my grandparents is Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) as a create jobs for Liberians. that you always have the commercial entity and the second set Analysts believe that after the power in you to make a the regulatory policies. But the bills initial storm, the government will difference in somebody hit a brick wall in the lower legislative likely make changes to the legislation else’s life despite your own chamber, the House of Representatives, to accommodate the citizens’ concerns.