Gulf of Guinea states form conflict resolution commission

A summit of sub-Sahara Africa’s biggest oil producers has set up a commission to resolve conflicts linked to the economic exploitation of natural resources within their territorial limits. “The Gulf of Guinea countries have agreed to create a consultation framework for the cooperation and the development as well as for the prevention, management and the resolution of conflicts that might affect them,” the leaders said on Friday in a final communique read by Gabonese Foreign Minister Jean Ping. Gabonese President Omar Bongo said that the countries present at the meeting had a shared interest in the Gulf of Guinea, which he described as full of oil and fish. “The exploitation (of these waters) and all consultations stemming from that must be the object of permanent consultation at our level,” he told his fellow leaders. The summit in Libreville, Gabon, was initiated by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. Other participants included hosts Gabon, Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea, Reuters reported. Another summit will be held next year in Libreville and, the leaders said, other countries in the region were welcome to join the commission.