Sommet Extraordinaire des Chefs d'Etat de Governement sur la Situation en Côte d'Ivoire, Communiqué Final (Accra I)

• Country/entity

  Cote d'Ivoire
  
• Region

  Africa (excl MENA)
  
• Agreement name

  Sommet Extraordinaire des Chefs d'Etat de Governement sur la Situation en Côte d'Ivoire, Communiqué Final (Accra I)
• Date

  29 Sep 2002
• Agreement status

  Multiparty signed/agreed
• Interim arrangement

  Yes
• Agreement/conflict level

  Interstate/intrastate conflict(s) ( Ivorian Civil War (2002 - 2011) )
• Stage

  Pre-negotiation/process
• Conflict nature

  Government
• Peace process

  Cote D'Ivoire: peace process
• Parties

  His Excellency Blaise CAMPAORE President of Faso Head of Government
  His Excellency Pedro Verona Rodrigues PIRES President of the Republic of Cape Verde
  His Excellency Laurent GBAGBO President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire
  His Excellency John Agyekum KUFUOR President of the Republic of Ghana
  His Excellency Koumba Yala Kobde NHANCA President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau
  His Excellency Dahpkanah Dr Charles Ghankay TAYLOR President of the Republic of Liberia
  His Excellency Amadou Toumani TOURE President of the Republic of Mali
  His Excellency Mamadou TANDJA President of the Republic of Niger
  His Excellency Olusegun OBASANJO President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
  His Excellency Maftre Abdoulaye WADE President of the Republic of Senegal
  His Excellency Gnassingbe EYADEMA President of the Republic of Togo
  His Excellency Issatu NJIE SAIDY President of the Republic of Gambia
  Mr Bruno AMOUSSOU Minister of State, representing the President of the Republic of Benin
  Mr François FALL Minister at the Presidency in charge of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, representing the President of the Republic of Guinea
  Mr Mohammed Lamin KAMARA Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, representing the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone
• Third parties

  4. The following persons were also present at the session as observers:
  
  His Excellency Thabo MBEKI President of the Republic of South Africa and President of the African Union
  His Excellency Amara ESSY President of the Commission of the African Union
  
  His Excellency Ahmedou Ould ABDALLAH Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, for West Africa
• Description

  In this communiqué, the member states of the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) call on the parties in dispute to abstain from the use of force and to start a dialogue. Furthermore, the member state have agreed to establish a contact group to mediate between the parties in dispute and negotiate a cessation of hostilities and a framework agreement to resolve the conflict

• Agreement document

  CI_020929_Sommet_Extraordinaire_des Chefs d'Etat de Governement sur la Situation en Côte d'Ivoire, Communiqué Final (Accra I)_tr.pdf | Download PDF
• Agreement document (original language)

  CI_020929_Sommet Extraordinaire des Chefs d'État de Governement sur la Situation en Côte d'Ivoire.pdf | Download PDF

Groups

Gender

State definition

Governance

Power sharing

Human rights and equality

Rights related issues

Rights institutions

Justice sector reform

Socio-economic reconstruction

Land, property and environment

Security sector

Transitional justice

Implementation

ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF

WEST AFRICAN STATES

EXTRAORDINARY SUMMIT OF HEADS OF STATE AND OF GOVERNMENT

ON THE SITUATION IN COTE D’IVOIRE

Accra, September 29, 2002

FINAL COMMUNIQUE

September 2002

1. Following the exceptionally serious events which have been unfolding during the last few days in Côte d’Ivoire, and have already caused hundreds of deaths and injured persons, and the prolonged occupation of several towns by hundreds of armed assailants, His Excellency Maftre Abdoulaye WADE, President of the Republic of Senegal and current President of CEDEAO, has convened an extraordinary session of Heads of State and of Government of Member States of CEDEAO, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Protocol on the Mechanism for Prevention, Management and Resolution of Conflicts, and Maintenance of Peace and Security, which took place in Accra on September 29, 2002.

2. The extraordinary session examined the security situation in Côte d’Ivoire as well as its implications for the wider region .

3. The following Heads of State and of Government or their duly accredited representatives were present at the extraordinary session:

His Excellency Blaise CAMPAORE President of Faso Head of Government

His Excellency Pedro Verona Rodrigues PIRES President of the Republic of Cape Verde

His Excellency Laurent GBAGBO President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire

His Excellency John Agyekum KUFUOR President of the Republic of Ghana

His Excellency Koumba Yala Kobde NHANCA President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau

His Excellency Dahpkanah Dr Charles Ghankay TAYLOR President of the Republic of Liberia

His Excellency Amadou Toumani TOURE President of the Republic of Mali

His Excellency Mamadou TANDJA President of the Republic of Niger

His Excellency Olusegun OBASANJO President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

His Excellency Maftre Abdoulaye WADE President of the Republic of Senegal

His Excellency Gnassingbe EYADEMA President of the Republic of Togo

His Excellency Issatu NJIE SAIDY President of the Republic of Gambia

Mr Bruno AMOUSSOU Minister of State, representing the President of the Republic of Benin

Mr François FALL Minister at the Presidency in charge of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, representing the President of the Republic of Guinea

Mr Mohammed Lamin KAMARA Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, representing the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone

4. The following persons were also present at the session as observers:

His Excellency Thabo MBEKI President of the Republic of South Africa and President of the African Union

His Excellency Amara ESSY President of the Commission of the African Union

His Excellency Ahmedou Ould ABDALLAH Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, for West Africa

5. The Heads of State and of Government listened to a memorandum from the Executive Secretary of CEDEAO, and a presentation by His Excellency Laurent GBAGBO, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire on recent developments in the situation in this member state.

6. During their work , the Heads of State and of Government strongly condemned the attempt to undermine democracy and the constitutional legality of Côte d’Ivoire, and deplored the loss of numerous lives and the pointless destruction of property.

They expressed their concern for the peace and security of the wider region which is threatened by this situation, and which could also result in a human catastrophe.

7. In accordance with the Declaration of the Political Principles of CEDEAO of July 6, 1991 adopted at Abuja, with the Protocol on the Mechanism for Prevention, Management and Resolution of Conflicts, and Maintenance of Peace and Security of December 10, 1999, and with Decision AHG DEC 142 (xxv) on the framework for a reaction by the OUA to anti-constitutional changes of Government, adopted by OUA in Algiers in July 1999, the Heads of State and of Government reaffirmed the position of CEDEAO under the terms of which no government will be recognised which takes power by overthrowing a democratically elected government or by using unconstitutional methods.

8. The Heads of State and of Government have decided to create a high-level contact group made up of the following Heads of State:

Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Togo to establish contact with the assailants, get them to cease hostilities immediately, restore calm in the occupied localities and negotiate a general framework for resolving the crisis.

The Special Representative of the President of the African Union will be a member of the Mediation Committee.

To this end the African Union will work in close collaboration with CEDEAO.

The President of the ministerial meeting of the Mediation and Security Council and the Executive Secretary will also work in close collaboration with the mediation mission.

9. They have demanded that the assailants who continue to occupy several towns refrain immediately from violence and assaults against the populations of these towns, to engage without delay in dialogue with the Mediation Committee of CEDEAO, with a view to handing over their weapons and resolving their differences with the Government by peaceful means.

10. They have agreed to hold an urgent meeting of the Defence and Security Committee.

11. The Heads of State and of Government have launched an appeal to all Ivorians to continue to resolve their differences by means of dialogue, in a spirit of brotherhood.

12. The Heads of State and of Government have reaffirmed their commitment to defend by all possible means democratic good governance and the State of Law.

13. The Heads of State and of Government have invited the Member States of CEDEAO to provide their immediate support (political, material, logistical) to the legal authorities of Côte d’Ivoire in order to maintain constitutional order, peace, security, unity and national cohesion.

14. The Heads of State and of Government are invited to respect the Non-Aggression and Mutual Assistance Protocols in Defence matters.

15. They have invited Member States to create conditions which will favour good civilian-military relations.

16. The Heads of State and of Government have launched an appeal to the press to refrain from reporting in ways which will create misunderstanding between the Member States of the region.

17. The Heads of State and of Government extend their compassion to all bereaved families and their sympathy to those who have been victims of the violence perpetrated during the events which began on September 19, 2002.

18. The Heads of State and of Government have noted the African Union’s strong commitment and support for Côte d’Ivoire and CEDEAO in their efforts to defend and protect democracy, constitutional governance, respect for human rights and the State of Law

19. The Heads of State and of Government call on the international community to support all of the initiatives taken by CEDEAO in order to restore peace and security in Côte d’Ivoire.

20. The Heads of State and of Government have expressed their deepest gratitude to His Excellency John Agyekum KUFUOR, President of the Republic of Ghana, to the Government and to the people of Ghana, for the warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to them, and the excellent facilities made available to them to ensure the success of the meeting.

DONE AT ACCRA, SEPTEMBER 29, 2002