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AU Summit AftermathAU leaders agree to prosecute Habré but remain divided on CharterOn July 2 and 3 in Banjul, The Gambia, AU leaders met to discuss Darfur, the legal proceedings for Hissène Habré and the continent's future.
This year's African Union Summit ended on July 3. Among the most important issues on the agenda were what to do with the AU's troops in Darfur, how to proceed with the criminal charges against Chad's former dictator, Hissène Habré, and an examination of the proposed African Charter on Democracy and Governance. Leaders could not agree on every point but there were some positive developments in Banjul. United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, took advantage of the occasion to attempt to persuade Sudanese president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, to allow the deployment of United Nation peacekeepers into his country. Mr. al-Bashir, however, remained firmly opposed to the UN's presence. The 7,000 AU troops that are currently stationed in troubled Darfur were scheduled to complete their mission on September 30 but during last weekend's summit, their assignment was extended until the end of this year. The AU and Mr. Annan hope that by this time, Sudan may finally permit blue helmets to enter the country and face this ongoing humanitarian crisis. At the request of the African Union, Senegal's president, Abdoulaye Wade, announced that his government had agreed to prosecute Chad's ex-leader, Hissène Habré, who has been in exile in Senegal since 1990, though he has been under house arrest. In 2000, Habré was charged with torture and crimes against humanity, which he allegedly committed during his eight-year rule of Chad. AU legal experts recommended that Senegal pass legislative reforms that would extend the jurisdiction of its courts to enable them to see Habré's case. During the summit, leaders could not come to terms on the proposed African Charter on Democracy and Governance. Although many of its provisions were accepted, leaders were unable to reach a consensus on a clause that would restrict governments from amending their constitutions in order to lengthen their time in power.
The copyright of the article AU Summit Aftermath in North African Affairs is owned by Sean Sinclair-Day. Permission to republish AU Summit Aftermath in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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