African mediators back in Abidjan to urge Gbagbo to quit
The joint mission of the African Union and the West African bloc ECOWAS arrived in Cote d’Ivoire on Monday to continue talks with the two rival claimants to the presidency of Cote d’Ivoire. The objective of the mission remains to persuade incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo to cede power. It was said that the only issue for discussion would be the conditions for Laurent Gbagbo’s exit, possibly including exile and amnesty for the embattled president and his key supporters. Diplomatic sources said that the Presidents of Benin, Sierra Leone and Cape Verde, together with Kenya’s Prime Minister Raila Odinga, were ready to spend a night in Abidjan and they would only leave Abidjan with ‘concrete results’. But after their meeting, Mr Ouattara said that the dialogue was over.
"Everything was done so that we could find a solution through diplomacy and dialogue," he said. "Since that is not the case, perhaps Laurent Gbagbo will have a change of heart. If not, then ECOWAS will need to use all the means at its disposal including the use of legitimate force so that the president that was elected can assume his functions."
Sudan President Bashir to visit South before referendum
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is to visit the capital of Southern Sudan, Juba, on Tuesday before the referendum. He will meet the president of the semi-autonomous South, Salva Kiir. The two men were on opposed sides during the two-decades-long civil war. According to officials, more than 95% of the Southern Sudan people have registered to vote on Sunday. Rabie Abdullaati, an official, said that the President’s visit is in the context of, first to ensure a free, fair and just conduct of the referendum and second to hold talks with the SPLM and the Government of Southern Sudan on the need to bring stability during the post referendum period and to affirm support and joint cooperation between the North and the South.
Zambia opposition criticises Banda over Chungu's support
Zambia’s former intelligence chief who fled the country to escape corruption trial is back in Lusaka and openly campaigning for President Rupiah Banda’s re-election.
“Let it be known that I am busy and in my own style campaigning for the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda,” said Mr Xavier Chungu. He is a former director general of the Zambia Security Intelligence Services (ZSIS) facing charges for corruption allegedly committed when he served under retired president Frederick Chiluba. So far, Mr Chungu's presence in the campaigns has stirred serious criticism around the country that goes to the polls this year. The main opposition is the Patriotic Front (PF), whose veteran leader Michael Sata is expected to be Mr Banda’s principal challenger for the presidency.