Tackling conflict in Africa

Civil wars have continued to ravage the Horn of Africa

Foreign and defence ministers from 11 African nations are in Kenya to discuss how to respond to disasters in the Horn of Africa and Great Lakes regions.

The meeting, dubbed Golden Spear 2000, is being hosted jointly by Kenya and the United States.

Kenyan Foreign Minister Dr Bonaya Godana said the two days of talks aimed to improve international co-operation for humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

Dr Godana, told the BBC it was important to learn from past mistakes in building a region-wide capability to respond to crises.

Regional security

The countries taking part are Burundi, Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda,Tanzania, Uganda and the Seychelles.

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The meeting being held in the town of Nanyuki, on the slopes of Mt Kenya, will focus on strategies to cope with natural and man made threats to national and regional security.

The topics would range from genocide and large scale movement of refugees to disease and drug trafficking.

Of the countries attending the talks, Ethiopia and Eritrea have recently signed a cessation of hostilities after a two year border war which has killed tens of thousands of people.

Regional conflicts

southern Sudan - since 1983

Somalia - since 1991

Ethiopia-Eritrea - 1998-2000

DR Congo - civil war involving neighbours

Burundi - since 1994

Uganda - clashes in north, west

northern Kenya - banditry thriving

Rwanda and Uganda are backing different rebel factions in the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rwandan and Ugandan troops have found reason to fight each other inside the DR Congo.

The war in Sudan has gone on for more than 16 years, and Somalia has been ruled by anarchic warlords and militia groups since its central government collapsed in 1991.

Mr Godana said that regional peacekeeping would be discussed at the symposium although he said that it was not meant to be a political conference to resolve particular conflicts.