ACCRA, Ghana – As the world prepares to lay former South African President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela to rest, the African Security Sector Network (ASSN) wishes to express its deepest sadness at his passing. Nelson Mandela was a champion of Security Sector Transformation (SST). He stood for and ensured that the principles of impartiality, professionalism, accountability, adherence the rule of law, a human rights ethos, transparency and oversight, were entrenched in the South African Constitution.
President Mandela worked tirelessly to promote the notion that any armed conflict had inevitably to end through a political process. High on the agenda in such a process would be the laying down of arms, the reconciling of former foes, their disciplined integration into unified forces, or their reintegration into society. He presided over the most genuinely consultative SST process to date, and laid the foundation for much of what have come to be considered today as ‘best practices’ in SST. He advocated local ownership of peace processes, a principle that firmly guided South Africa’s own transition.
Even where he played a vital role as facilitator, it was always the people of the affected countries who could justly claim the victories as their own. Nelson Mandela knew that beyond every mountain, there was another to climb.
Whilst we have come a long way, there is still much work to be done to bring about peace, stability and democratic governance over security institutions across all of Africa. The ASSN pledges work with citizens’ movements, parliaments and the governments of Africa in promoting effective and accountable security services for our continent. This remains an urgent challenge as new and complex threats to security emerge, and in some cases, old ones are re-ignited.
As we convey our condolences to the family and friends of Nelson Mandela, we celebrate the contribution of this African statesman towards the now irreversible process of Security Sector Reform (SSR) in Africa.
REST IN PEACE, PRESIDENT MANDELA (18 JULY 1918 – 5 DECEMBER 2013). WE WILL KEEP YOUR VALUES ALIVE.
Professor Boubacar N’Diaye,
Chair,
African Security Sector Network (ASSN).