UN General Assembly
1998

international community, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the African subregional organizations and by States individually to deal with the conflicts in the African continent have produced some positive results, some of them remarkable. This has contributed to the restoration of peace and the return to normalcy in several of the affected countries. However, the resurgence of new conflicts and the reappearance of other conflicts which we believed had already been resolved raise serious concerns, particularly because of the threat they pose to peace and stability even beyond national borders. This situation raises the spectre of disastrous consequences for the populations? well-being and security and casts a shadow over the much-needed economic and social development of the affected countries. A strong commitment is required on the part of the international community to find ways and means to deal effectively with the armed conflicts in the African continent. In Africa, as in any other region of the world, internal conflicts arise whenever individuals or groups of people have no channels through which they can funnel their legitimate claims through peacefully and