A three-day expert group meeting begun in Yaounde on July 18.

The preservation of peace and security has been a challenge to the African continent. In spite of the road covered to resolve conflicts, political uprising continues to make headline news which shows that much remains to be done. The crisis in Mali is a telling example. The remarks were made July 18 in Yaounde by the Minister Delegate in the Ministry of External Relations in charge of Relations with the Islamic World, Adoum Gargoum. He chaired the opening ceremony of a three-day experts meeting on the “Role of Regional Economic Communities in peace and Development in Africa,” jointly organized by the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa and the Government of Cameroon.

Delegates at the meeting from UN and AU agencies were tasked to take home the plight of its people in any decision making process. They are sharing analysis on the nexus between peace and security as tools for development and good governance. The Special Representative of the Secretary General to the AU, Zachary Muburi-Muita emphasized that where peace and security reigns, development issues are better addressed and investment follows suit boosting the living conditions of the people. The need to build strong national institutions as guarantor for peace and security Muburi-Muita said, is indispensable in bringing people and nations together.

The choice of Cameroon cannot therefore be underestimated. It is a country that has stood the test of time on the continent in upholding the virtues of peace, Jean Victor Nkolo, Senior Programme Officer Coordination, Advocacy and Programme Development Unit Office of the Special Adviser on Africa explained. The Yaounde confab, he added, is therefore for experts to debate on possibilities of avoiding the spread of crisis to other countries of the continent.