AU Monitor: Issue 131, 2008
Hakima Abbas
hakima at fahamu.org
Wed Apr 2 16:09:27 BST 2008
AU Monitor: Issue 131, 2008
Headlines
1. Africa Failed Somalia
2. Integration of the Peoples of West Africa
3. Unity at What Cost
4. Food Inflation Minefield for Governments
5. Union Financing
6. Comoros: No Quick Fix
7. AfDB Progress on Paris Declaration
8. ACHPR Session
9. Roundtable on the African Court
10. NGO Forum at ACHPR
Roundup
This week’s AU Monitor brings you a report back from the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) civil society workshop
written by Edwin Ikhuoria of the National Association of Nigerian
Traders. The workshop was convened by ECOWAS in order to strengthen
the integration of the peoples of the region. While these efforts
were applauded, participants noted that the vision for a people-
centred approach to integration had been created without consultation
at the grassroots and in the usual top-down manner. However, the
workshop successfully concluded with the formation of a platform for
non-state actors’ interaction with ECOWAS through nine regional
organizations, who will design and submit a memoranda on the outcomes
of the workshop and outlining potential future collaboration with
ECOWAS.
The African Union Commission signed a joint financing agreement this
week with a group of pooled fund partners from Europe, including
Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway and
Sweden. The contribution, earmarked for institutional
transformation, is said to total nearly US$ 6.2 million. Meanwhile,
Chambi Chachage questions the “cost” of African unity and
particularly challenges Tanzania’s recent intervention in the Comoros
crisis while noting that the “AU is shedding its OAU cocooning
charter of non-interference in the internal affairs of member
states”. Troops from Comoros, supported by the African Union, took
control of the island of Anjouan last week but the humanitarian and
economic issues facing the island are expected to take longer to
overcome. Indeed, the restoration of political stability in Anjouan
will be decided when elections finally take place, which the Union
government of Comoros has indicated will be held within the next
three months. Also in peace and security news, former President
Obasanjo of Nigeria has claimed this week that the continued conflict
in Somalia is caused by the lack of political will within the
international community and the rest of Africa to solve the crisis
and that “the downturn in the economy of Somalia and the sufferings
of many, were indications of international neglect, rather than
symptoms of a ‘failed state’”.
Meanwhile, the African Development Bank is said to have made progress
in aligning national lending with national priorities ahead of the
high-level forum on aid effectiveness expected in September in Accra,
Ghana. However, improvement is still needed in technical cooperation
with donors, use of country financial management systems, aid
predictability and donor structure streamlining. In other economic
development news, African governments are faced with mounting popular
mobilization and unrest due to surging food prices caused by “global
supply concerns and heady world futures markets”.
Finally, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR)
will hold its 43rd ordinary session between May 7th and 22nd in
Ezulwini, Swaziland. On the agenda are the periodic state reports of
Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania. As is
customary, the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies
will hold the forum on the participation of NGOs and the African
human rights book fair ahead of the Commission session from 3rd - 5th
of May also in Ezulwini. Information on the NGO Forum is also
available in French. Further in human rights news, the Foundation
for Human Rights Initiative and the East African Law Society are
convening a roundtable on the African Court on Human and Peoples’
Rights and the regional human rights system more broadly from March
31 to April 2 in Arusha, Tanzania. Alliances for Africa will be
convening a similar workshop on the Protocol of the African Court for
West African judges and lawyers from April 9-10 in Abuja, Nigeria.
Read more
Africa Failed Somalia
(This Day) -- The rising death toll of innocent Somali citizens could
have long been nipped, but for a deliberate turning away by the
international community, former President Olusegun Obasanjo said in
Nairobi.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1178/
Integration of the Peoples of West Africa
Edwin Daniel Ikhuoria -- Considering the time lapse between the
signing of the ECOWAS protocol in 1975 and today, and evaluating the
reality of integration in the ECOWAS sub region, it will become
obvious that measures taken in the past to achieve the fusion of the
region need to be reviewed with a view to achieving a better model
for regional integration in West Africa.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1177/
Unity at What Cost
Chambi Chachage (The Citizen) -- In love with unity, we co-founded
the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963.
In the spirit of ujamaa, we formed the union in 1964. In our quest
for collective self-reliance, we co-established the East African
Community in 1967.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1176/
Food Inflation Minefield for Governments
Alistair Thomson (Public Agenda) -- African governments, which often
face catastrophic droughts, floods and crop failures, are now
confronting spiralling inflation and creeping deficits as they seek
to contain popular anger over rising food prices.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1175/
Union Financing
(The Daily Monitor) -- The African Union Commission (AUC) on Thursday
said it signed a financing arrangement with a group of international
partners aimed at supporting the Pan African body's endeavor to
transform in to a Union.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1174/
Comoros: No Quick Fix
(IRIN) - The end of Mohamed Bacar's rebel rule in Anjouan could boost
political stability on the Comoros archipelago, but the humanitarian
problems will take longer to fix.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1173/
AfDB Progress on Paris Declaration
(Press Release)—The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has made
strong progress in aligning its lending to national priorities of its
member states, Vice President for Sector Operations, Zeinab El-Bakri,
said on Tuesday in Tunis.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1172/
ACHPR Session
The 43rd ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and
Peoples’ Rights will take place between the 7th – 22nd of May 2008,
in Ezulwini, Swaziland. Among the items on the agenda of the
Commission are the consideration of the periodic State reports from
Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1171/
Roundtable on the African Court
The Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI), as the Eastern
Africa focal point of the NGO Coalition for an Effective African
Court on Human and Peoples ‘ Rights, together with the East African
Law Society (EALS), are convening a two-day Roundtable on the African
Court and Regional Human Rights Systems from the 31 March - 2 April
2008, at Impala Hotel, Arusha, Tanzania.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1170/
NGO Forum at ACHPR
As is traditional, the African Centre will host the 43rd Forum on the
participation of NGOs in the Ordinary session of the African
Commission. The forum will deliberate generally on the human rights
situation in Africa in general and attempt to bring to the fore
specific situations that need to be highlighted in order to attract
the attention of the African Commission in particular and the
international community and other concerned bodies.
Pour des informations en français sur le Forum des ONGs de la
Commission Africaine des Droits de L’Homme et des Peuples, visitez:
www.aumonitor.org
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1169/
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Hakima Abbas
Policy Analyst, AU-Monitor
Fahamu - Networks for Social Justice
Email: hakima at fahamu.org
Skype: hakima_abbas
www.aumonitor.org
www.fahamu.org
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