THE Ambassador Usman Baraya, Ambassador of Nigeria to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU), is still relatively new to Addis Ababa. It has been a busy five months, however. He speaks to the PSC Report about Nigeria’s month as chair of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) in June, the key issues facing the council, and Nigeria’s de facto ‘permanent representative’ status.
Ambassador Baraya, congratulations on Nigeria’s tenure as chair of the PSC in June. What do you think were the most significant decisions reached by the PSC during that time?
The most important decisions taken at the PSC summit [in Johannesburg] were in respect of two situations, the situation in Burundi and that in South Sudan. But the overarching issue was terrorism on the continent and across the globe, and in particular as it affected us as Africa, and as the chair of the PSC.
On that occasion both the president of Nigeria and that of Chad gave very important renditions of the situation and the activities of the Multinational Joint Task Force, which was set up between Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon plus Benin. Discussions were held about the operationalisation of the task force, commitments that were being made to it and the monies that were put in place from donors and international partners. Nigeria’s new president pledged US$100 million for the new secretariat of the Multinational Joint Task Force.
The Sudanese authorities want us to abandon the mission, but we made sure there was a further extension of the mandate of UNAMID
Apart from those at the Johannesburg summit, what other decisions were made by the PSC in June?
We took very important decisions through our collaborative efforts between the PSC and the United Nations (UN) Security Council. The mandate of the UN–AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was extended by another 12 months because the situation in Darfur, based on the reports reaching us, is still not normal. Of course there were concerns from the Sudanese government, and the Sudanese authorities want us to abandon the mission, but in view of the obvious concerns and the evidence before the council under our chairpersonship, we made sure there was a further extension of the mandate of UNAMID so that at the end of it all we get the desired results.
Toward the end of the month, the case of universal jurisdiction also came up?
We had an extraordinary session on universal jurisdiction that was not part of the agenda, after the arrest in London of the Rwandan security chief, Lieutenant General Karenzi Karake. The PSC met and received very important statements and reports from the minister of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda, who was accompanied to the meeting by ministers from Kenya and Uganda, all in solidarity with what was happening.
Of course the council considered all the reports and finally issued a communiqué in support of Rwanda, especially taking into consideration that even the Western world had been singing the praises of Rwanda … so why the sudden twist? This gentleman [Karake] had been going back and forth [between Rwanda and Britain]. We were especially concerned given the timing. It was at the same time that Burundi was brewing, so any of these things were serious distractions.
How can you keep momentum on these issues once your chairpersonship is over?
We plan to organise a three-day retreat in Nigeria’s capital city Abuja in the run-up to the UN General Assembly [which begins on 15 September 2015]. The idea is that what we could not comprehensibly address, as well as what is coming out of the South African chairpersonship [July], we will try to [take further in collaboration with] regional economic communities. We want to engage them in Abuja to hear what they have to tell us and what efforts they are making regarding peace and security generally in the sub-regions.
It’s not always easy to implement PSC decisions. For example, at the June summit the PSC resolved to send military observers to Burundi, but as yet they have not received permission to depart. How can the PSC implement its decisions more effectively?
As members of the AU, Africans can no longer fold our arms and see situations deteriorate under the guise of sovereignty, as we might have done as part of the Organization of African Unity. If situations are definitely out of hand, out of control, the AU and in this case the PSC will get involved. Regarding the situation in Burundi, the East African Community (EAC) keeps telling us as the PSC that they are on top of the situation. They send us different signals to those we see on the pages of newspapers and from the electoral committee.
Finally, at the last minute, a special facilitator was nominated by the region in the person of President [Yoweri] Museveni of Uganda, and it was agreed that he was already doing a good job because he had visited the country in the run-up to the election. We are receiving reports on the outcomes of his efforts through his mission in Addis. Because of all this we have to exercise some constraint.
Africans can no longer fold our arms and see situations deteriorate under the guise of sovereignty
But it’s no longer business as usual [for leaders seeking to stay in office]. We are convinced this is a clear case of a search for a third mandate, a third-term project, which many of us, even in my own native Nigeria, have experienced in the past. The commission had sent the correct signals to the president of Burundi and he refused to listen.
Notwithstanding the principled position of the AU Commission, which is to distance ourselves from the elections [and not to send election observers], we, as the PSC, agreed to send an observer team to give us a comprehensive report. We are waiting only for the outcome [of the election] to decide what to do. We are also waiting to see what the facilitator will come up with.
Nigeria has had a seat on the PSC since the council’s inception, but Nigeria’s term – along with many others – expires in 2016. Will we see Nigeria back on the council?
For Nigeria it is a regional arrangement. It preceded my coming here, but I was told it was in appreciation of Nigeria’s efforts in and beyond the region. The West African sub-region decided for some reason it’s a quote unquote ‘permanent representation’ arrangement. Nigeria, at least until now, is a permanent member of the PSC. And we are privileged and honoured to have that special status because we are the only ones so far to have enjoyed it … With every sense of moderation, we have paid our dues in peacekeeping, everywhere from the Congo crisis in the early 60s to most parts of the world.
The article was first published by The Institute for Security Studies (http://www.issafrica.org) and is republished with permission granted to www.oasesnews.com
