AU Monitor: Issue 129, 2008
Hakima Abbas
hakima at fahamu.org
Wed Mar 19 09:10:42 GMT 2008
AU Monitor: Issue 129, 2008
Headlines
1. AU Condemns Attacks on Gaza
2. India-Africa Summit
3. Gaddafi Visits Uganda
4. AU Reviews Elections
5. Peace Efforts Failed
6. Dakar Agreement Between Sudan and Chad
7. Middle Income Countries
8. AfDB Package for PTA Bank
9. AFRICOM’s Role in Africa
10. Trade Ministers Conference
11. Consultations on Darfur Peace Process
Roundup
The African Union (AU) has issued a communiqué this week condemning
“the continuous deadly and indiscriminate attacks against civilian
areas in Gaza Strip committed by the Israeli occupying forces”, which
it claims constitute systematic violations of the human rights of the
Palestinian people and are contrary to humanitarian law. In peace
and security on the continent, informal consultations with regional
and international observers and partners on the situation in Darfur
were led by the AU and United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces in an
attempt to bolster the political process, which may also gain
momentum following the signing of the Dakar peace agreement during
the Organization of the Islamic Conference between the Sudanese and
Chadian presidents. The agreement, which is the “sixth peace accord
in six years” between the two actors, makes provision for a monthly
contact group to monitor compliance led by Libya and the Republic of
Congo. Also, this week, the conflict in Anjouan seems to have reached
new heights with the AU stating that it has exhausted all
opportunities to end the political dispute that ensued following
elections in June 2007. An African force composed of troops from
Tanzania, Senegal, Sudan, Libya and Comoros is on standby for likely
military intervention. Further involving the military and security
architecture in Africa, General William “Kip” Ward, head of the
United States Command for Africa (Africom), addressed the U.S
Congress in a speech that focused on Africom’s military rather than
humanitarian role in contrast to earlier pronouncements. This shift
in emphasis comes as a relief to some humanitarian agencies who
feared greater U.S military involvement would put the neutrality of
humanitarian assistance in jeopardy.
In trade and development news, a conference of African Ministers of
Trade and Finance will take place in early April in Addis Ababa. The
meeting will focus on: interim agreements and regional integration in
Africa; elements of African common positions in the forthcoming high
level engagement with the EU; aid for trade; and the consideration
and adoption of the Draft Decision/Declaration on the way forward on
EPA negotiations. The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a
line of credit of fifty million U.S dollars and an equity capital
increase of US$6.8 million (payable), as well as US$40.8 million
(callable), to support the Eastern and Southern African Trade and
Development Bank, which provides development financial services,
including trade and project financing. In addition, a one million
dollar grant for institutional capacity building for the Bank is
being provided by the AfDB-managed Fund for African Private Sector
Assistance. AfDB also held a conference aimed at increasing the
competitiveness of African middle-income countries (MICs) in Cairo,
Egypt. The conference is focusing on three areas of competitiveness:
the investment climate, science and technology and infrastructure,
and is expected to conclude with actionable recommendations for the
support of African MICs by multilateral development banks and
development partners. Lastly, a summit will be held in April in
Mumbai, India, with the said objective of enhancing partnership
between India and Africa in achieving the Millenium Development Goals.
In East Africa this week, President Gaddafi of Libya, along with
other Heads of States, is visiting Uganda at the close of the Afro-
Arab Festival. While the aim of his visit is philanthropic and
includes the opening of a mosque in Kampala, it is expected that
Colonel Gaddafi and President Wade of Senegal will use their visit to
rally support for the union government proposal after President
Museveni surprised observers at the African Union by endorsing a
gradualist approach to continental unity. In addition, “Col
Gaddafi’s first visit to Uganda in seven years underscores Libya’s
growing portfolio of investments in the region and the political and
economic weight it wields and is increasingly willing to use to
acquire and defend its interests in the region and across the
continent”. Lastly, as Kenya continues to grapple with the causes
and impact of the recent post-election violence, the Peace and
Security Council of the AU has called for a comprehensive review of
electoral procedures across the Continent while Professor Oluyemi
Adeniji, who took over from Dr Kofi Annan as the chief mediator in
the Kenyan mediation process, has said of the commission of inquiry
investigating the contested December elections that "determining the
culpability of some of the participants is going to be a daunting
task". It is also expected that the AU will soon undertake a review
its Declaration of Principles Governing Democratic Elections.
Read More
AU Condemns Attacks on Gaza
Press Release -- The African Union Commission has learnt with deep
regret of the continuous deadly and indiscriminate attacks against
civilian areas in Gaza Strip committed by the Israeli occupying
forces since 28 February 2008, with at least 100 Palestinian
civilians killed and around 300 others injured, including children
and women.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1158/
India-Africa Summit
(The Times of India) -- With an aim of bolstering its relations with
Africa, India will host the Summit of African countries here to
enhance the "true partnership" to achieve the Millennium Development
Goals.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1157/
Gaddafi Visits Uganda
Daniel Kalinaki (The EastAfrican) -- Libya’s President Col Muammar
Gaddafi was expected to arrive in Kampala over the weekend to close
an Afro-Arab Festival and preside over the opening of a mosque in the
Ugandan capital whose construction he has funded.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1156/
AU Reviews Elections
(The East African Standard) --The flawed Kenyan presidential election
that resulted in widespread chaos and killings has prompted the
African Union to call for a review of electoral procedures in the
whole continent.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1155/
Peace Efforts Failed
(IRIN) - African Union (AU) efforts to end the political dispute
between the Comoros government and Anjouan island's renegade leader
Mohamed Bacar have failed, officials said, despite an offer for more
talks to resolve the nine month stand-off.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1154/
Dakar Agreement Between Sudan and Chad
IRIN—After hours of wrangling over the text of their sixth peace
accord in two years, Chadian President Idriss Deby and Sudanese
President Omar al-Bashir signed the latest agreement late on 13 March
in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, vowing once again to stop providing
support to rebel groups opposing the other.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1153/
Middle Income Countries
Press Release—Along with the World Bank, the African Development Bank
(AfDB) Group is organizing a two-day conference in Cairo, Egypt, on
the theme: “Increasing the Competitiveness of African Middle Income
Countries (MICs): How Can Multilateral Development Banks Best Support
African MICs?”.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1152/
AfDB Package for PTA Bank
Press Release—The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank
(AfDB), through its private sector window, has approved a line of
credit of US$ 50 million and an equity capital increase of US$ 6.8
million (payable) as well as US$ 40.8 million (callable) to support
the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank, commonly
known as the Preferential Trade Area or “PTA” Bank.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1151/
AFRICOM’s Role in Africa
(IRIN) - In a key briefing to Congress on 13 March, General William
“Kip” Ward, head of the US Command for Africa, AFRICOM, devoted only
15 seconds of his four-and-a-half minute opening remarks to a
possible humanitarian role.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1150/
Trade Ministers Conference
A conference of African Ministers of Trade and Finance will take
place from 1 to 3 April, 2008 in Addis Ababa. The meeting will focus
on: interim agreements and regional integration in Africa; elements
of African common positions in the forthcoming high level engagement
with the EU; aid for trade; and the consideration and adoption of the
Draft Decision/Declaration on the way forward on EPA negotiations.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1149/
Consultations on Darfur Peace Process
(UN News) The United Nations and African Union envoys spearheading
efforts to bring peace to Sudan’s war-wracked Darfur region will hold
informal consultations early next week with regional partners and
international observers in a bid to find new momentum for the
political process.
Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/1148/
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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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