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Africa picks Congo as next AU head
The African Union on Tuesday chose Congo Republic as a compromise to chair the organization after Sudan’s leadership bid was derailed by fears that its poor human rights record could damage the continent’s credibility. Under the deal, Sudan will head the 53-nation body after Congo Republic steps down next year. Critics had said Sudan should not take the chair while it was under fire for rights abuses in its Darfur region, where 7,000 AU peacekeepers are trying to uphold a tentative ceasefire between the government and rebels.
Western diplomats said the AU’s decision to delay Sudan’s appointment showed the organization, set up in 2002, would not be deflected from its mission to promote democracy, human rights and development. It also wants to build its peacekeeping role. “It definitely shows that they are very sensitive about what the world thinks,” said one Western diplomat, adding that it would help raise the AU’s credibility with donors. Some delegates and diplomats said the solution was mainly a face-saving measure for Sudan, which had initially been reluctant to withdraw. They said Sudan’s chairmanship in 2007 could well be challenged later on.
“This was a decision to save face. Tomorrow is another day,” said one delegate from West Africa, whose region opposed Sudan. Darfur rebels had threatened to quit AU-sponsored peace talks in Nigeria if Sudan was picked as the next AU head. One rebel group said it would continue talking now Congo was chosen but had reservations about Sudan becoming president in 2007. African nations had been split about Sudan, which had put itself forward based on a tradition that the summit host takes over as AU head. A five-nation panel proposed the deal that Congo hold the presidency before Sudan.
“Postponing the problem”</B>
After the decision was announced, Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso took the chair from outgoing president, Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo, who has held the post for nearly two years. But some analysts raised questions about the choice of Congo, which has had little real record of democracy since independence in 1960, and about Sassou, a former coup maker.
An AU official said a draft resolution on Sudan’s presidency in 2007 had to be approved. Such a move is normally a formality. “In 2007, Sudan will be – I believe – available to be president of our Union. We hope that between then and now we will help it resolve the crises to allow it to be available,” said President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, one of the five countries which worked out the compromise. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer said the decision was an “outstanding outcome”. She said Sudan’s bid for the chair in 2007 should be conditional on solving its regional conflicts in Darfur and the east.
A Sudanese minister said Sudan would focus on resolving the Darfur conflict by 2007, after ending another 20-year civil war in its south last year. Incoming AU head, Sassou, said conflict prevention would be the cornerstone of his term. One rights group said the deal just postponed the problem. “If Sudan’s records of atrocities disqualifies (President Omar Hassan) al-Bashir from the presidency this year, how can we be sure that this doesn’t disqualify him next year?” said Reed Brody from New York-based Human Rights Watch.
Sudan had said it had the backing of North and East Africa for its bid, but diplomats said southern, western and central African countries had urged Khartoum to withdraw its nomination. The summit had discussed the possibility of extending Nigeria’s term, but some African nations were wary of breaking a tradition of a rotating presidency. A compromise choice, Congo’s Sassou fought a civil war in 1997 to return to power after losing multi-party elections five years earlier. There have also been questions about his administration’s handling of oil funds.
But Western diplomats welcomed the AU’s decision. “He’s not got the same standing as presidents like (South Africa’s) Mbeki or (Nigeria’s) Obasanjo on the world stage, but he is someone who will be listened to in the region,” said one. The debate has overshadowed the official agenda, which was to focus on culture and education. Human rights issues are also being discussed.
<B>Opheera MCDOOM
Nick TATTERSALL</B>
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