ECOWAS early warning system seminar opens in Accra

Accra, June 2, GNA - A sub-regional strategic workshop on Early Warning System ended in Accra on Saturday aimed at equipping civil society monitors with necessary mechanism for detecting conflict signals.

The ECOWAS Early Warning System was a strategy adopted for the prevention and resolution of conflicts in its nascent stage before they degenerate into violent conflicts of the magnitude of those experienced in the sub-region over the past decade. The strategy aimed at saving the usual huge costs that go with resolving full-blown conflicts and undertaking post-conflict reconstruction as well averting humanitarian catastrophe.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, attended by Anglophone countries, Mr Emmanuel Bombade, Executive Director of West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) said the network had integrated early warning and early response as part of its core activities. He explained that the workshop was part of a Capacity Building Programme (CBP) that seeks to establish and maintain well-coordinated networks of civil society organizations in each country across the sub-region, under the umbrella of WANEP. The capacity building would create a pool of trained and well-informed personnel to work alongside ECOWAS to operate a functional and reliable early warning and early response mechanism across the sub-region.

Mr Bombade said the project aimed at institutionalizing the culture of prevention in West Africa through an appropriate and effective early warning and early response mechanism.

It would also help build the capacities of communities and CSOs in the early detection of nascent violent conflicts that will bring about early warning which will, in turn generate early response mobilization and foster collaborative relationships with civil society and existing national, sub-regional, regional and international early warning, conflict prevention, and peace-building organizations. He said it would also promote proactive/pre-emptive and integrated approaches to conflict prevention and peace-building. Mr Bombade said the goal is to develop an effective and workable early warning and conflict management system that is capable of producing demonstrable results in managing, mitigating and preventing violent conflict in West Africa.

Colonel Yoro Kone, ECOWAS Director, Observation and Monitoring said the early warning system mechanism aims at enhancing West African regional capacity to detect and respond to conflict. It supports the establishment of an early detection and response mechanism for ECOWAS to help prevent regional conflicts, strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations to participate in conflict detection and response and create a platform for sharing lessons and best practices to avoid or mitigate situations and transition from conflict to democratic governance.

He said ECOWAS would also support the operationalization of the ECOWAS Conflict Early Warning System by providing training and technical assistance.

This would result in closer collaboration between the national civil society networks that have been established and the ECOWAS Observation and Monitoring Centers. The centers according to Col. Kone would implement the ECOWAS Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace-keeping and Security within West Africa. 02 June 07