Transitional councils play a crucial role in leading to peace in many conflicting countries. The transitional council — established with the responsibility to oversee the transition of power from the previous government to a new administration and composed of representatives from various political/conflicting parties and civil society organizations — often brings stability and peace to many countries in Asia, Africa and other regions. The transitional Federal Government in Somalia, established to bring stability to the country after years of civil war, the National Transitional Council in Libya and the Transitional Sovereignty Council in Sudan are some of the examples of transitional councils. But these councils cannot play their expected roles many times in different countries, leading to concerns.
It is notable that there are political, transnational and other challenges to the transitional council, leading to ineffective outcomes many times. Navigating complex power dynamics, establishing a clear timeline for the transition process and ensuring inclusivity of all stakeholders in decision-making are crucial challenges the transitional councils face. Additionally, establishing security forces and addressing security concerns to prevent any disruptions during the election period, creating a fair and transparent electoral process and holding timely elections are some other challenges to these councils. Among others, addressing deep-rooted grievances among the parties and building trust among diverse factions are notable challenges that make such councils fail many times. Consequently, establishing a clear timeline for the transition process and holding elections are often challenging.
Grievances mitigation based, international collaboration oriented and other steps are definitely taken to address challenges. Transitional council establishes security forces to maintain order, implement dialogue with various factions to promote reconciliation and engage with international organizations for support and guidance, leading to positive outcomes many times. Additionally, transitional councils put emphasis on building trust among the parties involved through transparency and accountability measures in order to foster a stable ground for successful elections. Transnational actors including international organizations such as the United Nations provide support to transitional councils many times that are instrumental in achieving successful outcomes. Consequently, some transitional councils including, but not limited to, the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia successfully established peace despite diverse challenges.
But there are diverse flaws in the steps taken that sometimes worsen the situations or fail to bring the expected outcomes. There remains a difficulty in reducing political stability, a lack of inclusivity in decision-making processes and inadequate steps to address grievances, which lead marginalized groups to feel excluded and potentially fuel further conflicts. Additionally, inadequate resources and capacity-building efforts hinder the council’s ability to effectively implement peacebuilding initiatives and oversee fair elections. Among others, power struggle or the intention of holding power by the council sometimes leads to delays in resolving conflicts, holding elections and bringing peace. For instance, the Transitional Council in Sudan failed to hold elections and bring peace due to a power struggle.
But steps are crucial to address the concerns and challenges faced by the transitional councils and bring peace. Establishing clear timelines and benchmarks for progress, ensuring transparency in decision-making processes, addressing grievances and fostering collaboration between all stakeholders involved in the transition are definitely vital. It is also crucial for the transitional councils to ensure transparency and accountability and build trust among the conflicting parties in order to successfully transition to a stable and peaceful government. The failure to foster collaboration among the parties involved led to the failure of the National Transitional Council in Libya to bring stability and peace.
But international cooperation is vital for a successful transition — definitely. It turns out to be difficult many times to bring stability and hold elections in conflicting countries, which often require support and resources for capacity building within the transitional council in order to help it effectively carry out its duties and prepare for timely elections. The good intentions of the parties involved including the conflicting parties are also vital to address grievances and successfully and timely bring peace.
