Sixth Meeting of The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on The Harare Declaration (CMAG)

Concluding Statement

1.   The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration (CMAG)  held its Sixth Meeting at Marlborough House in London on 17-18 February 1997. It was unanimous in its review and conclusions on the following developments in The Gambia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, against the background of its establishment as the Commonwealth mechanism for dealing with serious or persistent violations of the Harare Declaration principles.

The Gambia

2.  In considering recent developments in The Gambia, CMAG recalled the concerns it had expressed in August and September 1996 about the flawed political process. The Group saw the continued exclusion of a significant element of The Gambia's civilian leadership from the political life of the country as detrimental to the cause of democracy in The Gambia and called upon the Government to lift the ban without further delay.

3.  In the meantime, the Group welcomed the conclusion of the electoral phase of the transition in The Gambia marked by the Parliamentary elections of 2 January 1997. It noted that these were conducted in a freer atmosphere than the Presidential elections in September 1996. The Group also welcomed the release of 35 political detainees under an amnesty.

4.  CMAG also examined ways in which the Commonwealth could  further assist The Gambia in consolidating democracy.  In this context, it requested the Secretary-General to send a Secretariat team to The Gambia which, in addition to making an assessment of current developments, should explore ways of providing further Commonwealth technical assistance towards the democratisation process.

 
Nigeria

5.  The Group reviewed the useful exchanges it had during its visit to Nigeria in November 1996 with the Government of Nigeria and others. It reiterated its concern that all political detainees, including Chief Moshood Abiola, had not been released and that detention without trial was still taking place in Nigeria. It also noted that the party-based local government elections had been delayed by three months beyond their scheduled date, though registration for them had now commenced; and that the Nigerian authorities had indicated that the transition programme would still be completed as planned in October 1998.

6.  The Group welcomed the fact that the United Nations (UN) Thematic Special Rapporteurs on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers and on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions were now to visit Nigeria from 23 February to 5 March 1997 and looked forward to their report.

7.  CMAG recalled the statement made by its Chairman in Abuja last November on the need for CMAG to have access to the widest possible cross-section of views from Nigerians to enable it to report and make recommendations to Commonwealth Heads of Government. In this respect, CMAG took note of correspondence from a number of non-governmental organisations and representatives of civil society. It decided to invite further written submissions from all interested parties, to reach the Commonwealth Secretariat by the end of April 1997, with a view to enabling CMAG to invite oral presentations at its next meeting in July 1997, before it finalised its assessment and report to Commonwealth Heads of Government.

Sierra Leone

8.  The Group welcomed the signing of the Abidjan Accord on 30 November 1996, between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone (RUF/SL). 

9.  It noted the Commonwealth's contribution to the peace process and, in recognition of the Commonwealth's position as co-guarantor of the Abidjan Accord with the UN and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), requested the Secretary-General to continue his good offices role in Sierra Leone. 

10.  The Group also recommended that, working in close collaboration with the UN and the OAU, the Commonwealth should give a positive response to the appeal from the Government of Sierra Leone and the RUF/SL for assistance with the monitoring of  the implementation of the Abidjan Accord.  It made an urgent appeal to the parties, especially to the RUF/SL, to proceed without further delay with the implementation of the Abidjan Accord in good faith, and pledged continuing Commonwealth support to Sierra Leone. 

97/05   18 February 1997