Although this new involvement won't prevent wars, there is now greater certainty that the neighboring countries will create mechanisms of conflict resolution before problems spread, and outside actors such as the US will find constructive ways to contribute to such efforts. In the roller-coaster graphic that depicts trends in African conflict, the last year witnessed a depressing spike in destructive warfare throughout the continent. No corner has been untouched - from Sierra Leone in the west, to Angola in the south, to Congo in the center, to Sudan in the north, to Somalia in the northeast. Ethiopia's continuing deliberations over the latest peace plan with Eritrea are a stark reminder of the intractability of newer conflicts, which is worse with wars decades old. In the face of these fresh horrors, and despite a predictable rise in fatalism about Africa's future, Africa and its global friends are responding.
Progress is slow, learning curves are huge and continuous, and many wars rage on.
Some examples are worth noting. The agreement lays the groundwork for addressing both internal and regional sources of conflict. Zambia's efforts were supported by Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania, with continuous and timely interventions by the US, European Union, and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, among others. Efforts to resolve the world's deadliest conflict, the civil war in Sudan, have intensified in the last few months. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a regional organization, is building an ad hoc peace secretariat to undertake the complex negotiations necessary for ending this deeply rooted war.