G8 Research Group

G8 leaders acknowledged the need to improve regional peace and security in Africa. They expressed deep concern over the grave humanitarian situation in Côte d’Ivoire and urged the international community to support President Alassane Outtara and his government to restore stability. They also condemned the escalation of violence in Abyei, Sudan and urged all parties to engage in post-referendum negotiations between Sudan and an independent South Sudan. Similarly, they expressed concern over protracted violence in Darfur and called on all parties to cease conflict in accordance with the Doha Process. According to the G8/Africa Joint Declaration, “We encourage G8 and African countries’ continued cooperation and mutual efforts to these ends, including through the Sudan Consultative Forum”.

Furthermore, G8 leaders welcomed progress on strengthening capacity-building for peace and security in compliance with the G8 Action Plan adopted at the Sea Island Summit in 2004. They also expressed concern over the rise of political tension in Zimbabwe and called for the Southern African Development Community to continue its facilitation efforts – in accordance with the Livingstone Communiqué of the Organ Troika on Politics, Defence, and Security, dated 31 March 2011 – to facilitate Zimbabwe’s implementation of the Global Political Agreement. Moreover, they commended the African Union High Level Implementation Panel for Sudan for its efforts and welcomed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for the successful conclusion of the 2011 referendum. G8 leaders also applauded efforts by the African Union to develop the African Peace and Security Architecture. Finally, they urged Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government to engage with the international community to launch a constitutional process once the Transitional Federal Institutions’ mandate expires in August 2011, saying, “We commit to remain constructively engaged on Somalia and to support international efforts for the establishment of a peaceful and secure environment”.

To combat terrorism, the G8 called for the creation of regional strategies to assist affected countries to develop their own counter-terrorism capacities. However, leaders fell short of pledging concrete commitments to build African capabilities to cope with these crises. Finally, while the G8/Africa Joint Declaration acknowledged that “current global threats require strengthening national and regional initiatives in Africa with the support of the international community and increased global cooperation”, it failed to propose concrete commitments to this end. Finally, the G8 urged members to develop a coordinated response to the growing threat of piracy off the coast of Somalia. However, while leaders acknowledged that effective prosecution, such as the execution of sentences, is a necessary precursor to combat piracy, they failed to pledge concrete commitments to strengthen the effectiveness of prosecution and imprisonment regimes. Therefore, the G8 is assigned a score of 0.5.