ACCORD held a workshop in Durban, South Africa on 14 and 15 September 2009 on “Peace Agreements and Durable Peace in Africa”. The aim was to evaluate the democratisation and developmental components of African peace agreements in the light of objectives for “durable” or “positive” peace. Among the questions posed were: which components of peace agreements further the goals of democratisation and development, and do these components facilitate or impair possibilities for “durable” peace?
Nine peace agreements were presented at the workshop, under five broad themes. The 2003 Liberia Accra Agreement and the 2003 DRC Inter-Congolese Dialogue presenters, under the first theme, focused on components of peace agreements for good governance such as power sharing, building state institutions, political parties and elections. The second theme, dealt with by the 1999 Sierra Leone Lomé Agreement and the 2005 Sudan Comprehensive Agreement presenters, focused on components for the management of resources. Presenters of the 2000 Burundi Arusha Agreement and the 1994 Angola Lusaka Protocol examined the third theme, namely components of peace agreements contributing to durable peace, with an emphasis on civil society and reconstruction, development and reconciliation. The 2002 Chad Tripoli II Agreement presenter, focusing on the fourth theme, examined the role of rebel forces and leadership within peace agreements. The fifth theme dealt with components of peace agreements contributing to durable peace, with an emphasis on the role of regional and/or international organisations, and was focused on by the presenters of the 2004 Côte d’Ivoire Accra III Agreement and the 1993 Rwanda Arusha Agreement.
