Sudan snubbed as Ghana chosen to head African Union
The African Union today chose Ghana to head the 53-member bloc, for the second year in a row – turning aside Sudan’s bid because of the Darfur crisis.
“By consensus vote, president (John) Kufuor of Ghana has been elected to the presidency of the African Union,” Alpha Oumar Konare, the AU’s chief executive, told reporters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
Sudanese leaders over the weekend were adamant that they deserved the post, a position that rotates among African heads of state.
“African heads of state will have to stick to their word (and select Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir), otherwise what is the point of the AU holding meetings and reaching agreements?” Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ali Sadiq said Sunday.
Sudan had pushed to obtain the chairmanship during last year’s summit, which it hosted, but African leaders selected Republic of Congo’s president Denis Sassou Nguesso in a compromise deal for him to chair for one year and then hand over to al-Bashir.
However, the deal hinged on Sudan demonstrating progress in bringing peace to Darfur, a violence-wracked western Sudan region. Instead of calming, Darfur’s violence in recent months has spilled into neighbouring Chad and Central African Republic.
More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced in Darfur since rebels took up arms against the central government in 2003.
Sudan’s government is accused of retaliating indiscriminately against civilians and supporting janjaweed paramilitary groups blamed for some of the worst atrocities in the conflict. Sudan’s government denies the allegations.
Sudanese president al-Bashir opposes a UN Security Council resolution that calls for some 22,000 UN peacekeepers to replace or absorb an African force. The AU has 7,000 peacekeepers struggling to end the fighting.
