Darfur overshadows African Union summit
Jan 28, 2007 (ADDIS ABABA) — Heads of state were gathering in Addis Adaba for an African Union summit set to be overshadowed by another row over Sudan’s bid to become president of the 53-member organisation.
Armed police and soldiers were out in force on the eve of the two-day gathering in the Ethiopian capital, lining the streets from the airport to the city centre ahead of the arrival of presidents, prime ministers and other dignatories including new United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
Topics high on the agenda of the eighth AU summit included efforts to send a peacekeeping mission to war-torn Somalia and the impact of global warming.
But the start of business was in danger of being stalled for a second year running over the crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.
Khartoum reluctantly agreed last year to hold off on its ambitions to chair the organisation for 12 months amid an outcry over the situation in Darfur where a 7,000-strong African Union has struggled to check the bloodshed which has already claimed more than 200,000 lives.
While aid organisations say the humanitarian crisis is worse than ever, Sudan’s Foreign Minister Lam Akol said Khartoum was still intent on taking up the post.
“The Sudanese presidency will be very good for the AU,” Akol, who is attending the meeting, told AFP. “The situation in Darfur has no relationship with that presidency.”
However, the meeting looks set to descend into chaos almost as soon as it starts on Monday morning, with Chad threatening to walk out in protest if Sudan is elected chairman.
The chairmanship is the first item on the agenda and any lengthy impasse could stymie all other debate.
Ban, who is due to meet Sudan’s President Omar al-Beshir at the meeting, communicated last week his concerns last week of the “trend in aerial bombardments the government has conducted in several areas of north Darfur,” according to his spokesman.
In a statement released in Addis Ababa, South Africa’s Nobel prize-winning archbishop Desmond Tutu called on the African Union to make clear its disgust at events in Darfur.
“Africa cannot turn its back on the people of Darfur. The government of Sudan continues to act with impunity and must now be subjected to tough and effective sanctions until the suffering ends,” said Tutu.
“Sudan’s president, Mr Beshir longs to be given the AU’s presidency. The AU cannot allow itself to comfort the oppressor.”
Six leading charities also issued a statement here warning that the situation in Darfur was getting worse and concerted pressure from the AU, UN and international community was needed.
“The conflict has dragged on for too long and is now worse than ever before,” said Oxfam’s Irungu Houghton.
“To wait any longer puts hundreds of thousands of lives in danger and risks a total breakdown of the entire humanitarian response.”
The New-based Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the AU that it should use its summit meeting “to reject Sudan’s latest bid to become chair” on the grounds of its “record of crimes against humainity and war crimes in Darfur.”
Sources at the summit said although Sudan was still the only official candidate, Ghana, Rwanda and Tanzania were being touted as possible compromises. Another possibility would be for the current chair, Congo, to extend its tenure.
Once the issue of the chairman is resolved, heads of state are due to hold a range of debates on issues from regional security to climate change, with an address from Sir Nicholas Stern, author of a new report by the British government which warned of the catastrophic consequences for Africa of global warming.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter was also in town where he will meet up with South African President Thabo Mbeki, host of the next football World Cup in 2010 — the first time the tournament has been held on the world’s poorest continent.
(AFP)