ADDIS ABABA, July 16 (Xinhua/GNA) – East African security experts and policymakers have stressed the need to spur mediation efforts to consolidate post-agreement gains towards peaceful resolution of conflicts in the region.
They made the call on Monday during an ongoing three-day regional meeting that brought together security experts and policymakers of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) member countries, which kicked off on Monday on the significance of dialogue and mediation in post-agreement phases as a constructive tool for conflict resolution.
IGAD’s Peace and Security Division Director, Siraj Fegessa, addressing the three-day security-themed regional meeting reiterated the East African bloc’s resolve towards strengthening constructive conflict resolution initiatives across the region.
« IGAD has played a vital role in many regional developments, » Fegessa said, adding « key mediation interventions have brought renewed efforts and stability towards sustainable peace and development in the region. »
« It is evident that peace processes can be achieved through dialogue and negotiation as an apparatus to resolve conflicts and bring sustainable peace, » the director stressed.
Fegessa’s call was also echoed by Ethiopia’s envoy to IGAD, Koang Tutlam, who underscored the need to strengthen mediators’ role in the IGAD region towards peaceful resolution of conflicts.
« Mediators in the IGAD region must continue supporting to see through the implementation of agreements signed by parties because this is the only alternative for peace and stability to prevail in the region, » Tutlam said.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of South Sudan, Nhial Deng Nhial, also urged the need to spur dialogues, saying that « fruitful dialogues are not only important but should be coupled with logistical facilitation. »
