Kufuor to brief AU on Kenya developments

“Amongst the items on the agenda [of the Peace and Security Council] will be a report back from the President of Ghana on his visit to Kenya and the findings of the situation,” said Africa Multilateral Deputy Director General (DDG) at Foreign Affairs Ambassador Jessie Duarte, Monday.

Kufuor left for Kenya in early January 2008 as part of a mediation team trying to facilitate dialogue between President Mwai Kibaki and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga.

The December 2007 elections, which saw the veteran politician Kibaki re-elected in a highly contested victory over Odinga, was heavily disputed with the opposition parties alleging ballot rigging and irregular activities.

The country erupted into turmoil with ODM supporters mainly from the Luo tribe of Odinga conducting nation wide protests against Kibaki which has led to over 700 people dying.

Further peace talks

Duarte said that the security situations in other troubled countries, including the Comoros, the Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), will also feature on the agenda of the PSC.

Further issues on the Peace and Security Council agenda were, however, difficult to identify as member states are able to raise matters from the floor, she said, adding that the agenda was therefore not a closed one.

The 10th Ordinary Session of the Assembly will sit in session between 31 January and 2 February 2008, “and during that period the Assembly will consider the election of the [new] Chairperson of the AU,” said Ambassador Duarte.

Professor Alpha Oumar Konare who served as Chairperson of the Commission, will be replaced following the end of his term in office in July 2007.

According to the AU, the six people nominated to take over the role of Chairperson of the AU are Antoinette Batumubwira from Burundi, Abdulai Osman Conteh from Sierra Leone, Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini from Swaziland, Inonge Mbikusita–Lewanika from Zambia, Cassum Uteem from Mauritius, and Jean Ping from Gabon.

The AU budget

Another important issue on the agenda will be the adoption of the Budget for 2008.

“A decision was taken that 75% of the AU budget be funded by five African states who have high Gross Domestic Products (GDPs) which include Algeria, Nigeria, Libya, South Africa and Egypt.

“So 75% of the budget, no matter what happens, is funded by those five member states.

“What has happened over the last two years is that medium sized countries have been paying their contributions to the AU once a month, or some pay every six months or every quarter,” said Ambassador Duarte.

She highlighted that some African countries really struggle to contribute to the commission's budget and are “really not in a position to pay the minimum 0.25% of the budget.

“What does happen is that countries that are in arrears for more than three years are being sanctioned which means they can not speak or receive documentation so funding is a bit of a problem.”

Article published courtesy of BuaNews