osloforum

Oslo forum | Africa 09 - African Mediators' Retreat

24-27 March 2009, Zanzibar, Tanzania

The African Mediators’ Retreat aims to provide a forum where those involved in conflict resolution across Africa can discuss openly the challenges they face, seek ideas for addressing them and build professional ties to foster cooperation

The Retreat convened more than 60 participants, including representatives from the United Nations, African regional organisations, and governments, as well as independent analysts.

Participants shared their experiences in a number of focus discussions on the peace processes in Somalia, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic, as well as in a session exploring the extent to which mediators should include economic issues in the talks, especially concerning natural resources. Other discussion topics included: the challenges for mediators in dealing with rebel groups, with a special focus on Chad/Darfur and Uganda; the impact of international justice on peace processes with a particular focus on the indictment of the Sudanese president; how to deal effectively with external actors in peace processes; the role of mediation in the post-agreement phase; and an assessment of the role of mediation in preventing and managing conflict in the wake of transferring power through elections.