Kenya wins AU support over ICC trials
The African Union agreed to back its bid to defer Hague trials against six of its citizens. The AU will request the United Nations Security Council to accede to Kenya's request. But it may not turn out to be successful as the Security Council in 2009 rejected a similar deferral request by the AU against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. Kenya's support comes after intensive lobbying that had seen top government ministers controversially travel African capitals in the last month in search of support ahead of the summit. Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said that his government was preparing to put all necessary legal frameworks to work to implement the trial at home.
Tanzania police probe mass grave of newborn babies
Police in Tanzania are investigating the discovery of a mass grave in Dar es Salaam containing the bodies of 10 newborn babies. Dar es Salaam residents found them in a shallow pit about 100m from Mwananyamala hospital on Monday. One of the corpses was wrapped in a sheet belonging to the hospital. The police have set up a special committee to deal with the inquiry. The babies are reported to have been aged between one day and seven days old
Niger junta says election went on without a hitch
Niger’s electoral commission has announced that it will begin announcing the provisional results of the combined presidential and legislative elections by Wednesday. Election observers and Niger’s junta have expressed satisfaction over the impressive turnout of voters to elect a new president. Besides the new president, the voters also cast their ballots to elect the 113 members of the country’s parliament after a successful local election nearly two weeks ago. Both international and local election observers as well as the electoral commission conceded that there was no significant disruption of the process. The electoral commission pegged the turnout at Sunday’s polls at about 50 percent of the 6.7 million voters with rural women making up the bulk of those that cast their ballots. In Niamey, the capital, the commission said that about 35 percent of eligible voters went to the polls “in absolute calm and tranquillity,” according to Niger’s State-controlled television. “The entire process went on very well and I am sure that everyone is satisfied as we look forward soon to install the future leaders of our country,” the Premier of the interim government Mahamadou Dandah said. Vote counting commenced immediately following the closure of the polling stations on Sunday night throughout the country amidst a few protests over vote rigging in the remote northern regions of Maradi and Diffa.
A new political roadmap for Madagascar
The SADC has finally come up with a roadmap to bring to an end the political stalemate in Madagascar that has lasted for almost two years. On Monday 31, the SADC mediator, Dr Leonardo Simao presented the new political roadmap for the country to all the warring parties, emphasizing that recognition of the national authority will depend on the fulfilment of the proposed requirements .The document stated that the president of the High Authority of Transition, Andry Rajoelina, would remain the leader of the “true” transition. According to the new roadmap, he will choose a prime minister from a list of individuals presented to him by the relevant parties. The current members of the transitional Parliament and the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) will maintain their posts though the structures will be enlarged to accommodate other interested parties. The parties involved have been asked to name their representatives. However, the final decision regarding the appointment belongs to President Rajoelina. The roadmap urges Malagasy politicians to conduct transparent and free presidential/legislative elections which will take place between May 1 and November 30.
UN, African Union meet on Sudan, Somalia
UN and African Union leaders, gathered in Addis Ababa for the second and final day of an AU summit, were discussing post-referendum Sudan and the future of Somalia after the transitional government's mandate expires in August. UN chief Ban Ki-moon is chairing the meeting. Those taking part include Sudan President Omar al-Bashir, South Sudan leader Salva Kiir, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and African Union Commission chief Jean Ping. Also in attendance were South African President Jacob Zuma and officials from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a six-member regional grouping. Ban ki-moon said that he would meet with Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed ahead of the mini summit.
Cote d’Ivoire: AU, UN on collision course
The Africa Union’s dramatic shift of position on the matter of Cote d’Ivoire and its post-election crisis has put it on a collision course with the United Nations. By deciding to form a higher level panel on the Ivorian crisis, the AU seems to be drifting towards a power-sharing deal, as opposed to the forceful removal of defiant Laurent Gbagbo from power. The UN on the other hand remains firm that Mr Gbagbo must vacate the presidential palace for Mr Alassane Ouattara, the man internationally recognized as the winner of the November 28, 2010, re-run poll. The AU Peace and Security Council has established a panel consisting of five African leaders from five geographical regions to work with the new AU chairman and his regional Ecowas counterpart to help restore order and stability in Cote d’Ivoire. The panel is mandated to formulate the next step to end the Cote d’Ivoire crisis peacefully within one month. The AU, UN, the Economic Community of West African States and several of the more influential African leaders late Saturday held a closed-door discussion in an apparent attempt to reconcile the emerging differences
Equatorial Guinea Theodore Obiang Nguema becomes chairman of AU
Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika has officially handed over the chairmanship of the African Union to his Equatorial Guinea colleague Theodore Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.