How Sudan Lost the AU Presidency for the Third Time

Refugee Rights News
Volume 4, Issue 2
April 2008

In January 2008, for the first time ever, Ethiopian civil society organizations organized a pre-Africa Union Summit conference.

The session was held under the auspices of the Centre for Citizens' Participation in the African Union (CCP-AU), an organization which aims to encourage African citizens to engage with, and participate in, activities of the African Union.

Presided over by an interim steering Committee composed of Action Aid – Ethiopia, African Center for Humanitarian Action (ACHA), African Rally for Peace and Development (ARPD), Afroflag Youth Vision (AYV), Christian Relief and Development Association (CRDA), Organization for Social Justice in Ethiopia (OSJE) and Oxfam, the civil society forum brought together close to 30 local and international organization in order to take stock of the development of continental governance and agree on how best to input to the Africa Union summit.

NGO voices were in the lead in bringing ongoing crises on the African continent, in particular the situations of Darfur in Sudan, Kenya and Somalia, to the attention of the gathered leaders.

The highlight of civil society contribution to tackling conflict on the continent was the level panel on the Responsibility to Protect which was co-hosted by the government of Cameroon—then the chair of African Union Peace and Security Council, Oxfam and the International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI) for ambassadors accredited to the Africa Union. The evening included a show by Emmanuel Jal, Sudanese rapper and film star, and a photo exhibition. The session was to impress upon African leaders how the norm of Responsibility to Protect that is enshrined within the constitutive act of the African union needs to be operationalized in the context of the various conflicts that are ravaging Africa.

In an effort to highlight the ongoing crisis in Darfur, Darfur Consortium member, Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS), brought together over 60 Darfurian women in an African women’s conference on Darfur. These women are, more often than not, excluded from the discourse about ending the impunity in that region. Yet, from many accounts they bore the brunt of crimes committed, especially rape and sexual slavery and losses. The majority of them are not consulted on matters relating to the peace process, justice and accountability, and the condition for eventual return of refugees and IDPs. The FAS consultation was designed to develop a Darfuri Women Plan of Action for Peace, which in turn is designed to ensure that women are allowed to take ownership of efforts to resolve the crisis and that the voices of these women are heard and heeded by other actors in the process.

At a press conference held after this meeting, the stories of courage amidst chaos emphasized that nothing much had changed in Darfur since 2003. Forty-five-year old Nawal described the prevalence of rape in Darfur—women as old as 80 years and girls as young as seven have fallen victim. As she told her story, she was forced to choke back her tears. One day she came upon a nine-year old girl, a victim of gang rape, covered in blood and comatose. Attempting to transport her to the nearest clinic, this woman and her companions saw another group of janjaweed coming towards them. In the path of the militia, the women feared that they would suffer the same fate as their young charge. But how could they abandon the young girl to her fate?

They decided not to run. As the men approached them, they saw, perhaps for the first time, women who did not fear. The militiamen shot into the air. But the women stood strong. Their commander grew furious. He expected them to have scattered immediately.

One elderly lady in the group stepped forward. Do you have a family, she asked the commander? Or children? Yes, he replied. The old lady turned and pointed to the bleeding girl and asked the militia commander; what if that girl was your daughter, would you not want to get her to a hospital? The commander and his militias did not answer, but took off to the next village.

As if in a perverse answer to these stories of courage, the Sudanese government at the same time was posting a bid for the Presidency of the African Union. Although Khartoum may have hoped to sneak its bid unnoticed, they faced fierce resistance from civil society organizations.

Reacting to the news that Sudan was standing again, Dismas Nkunda, Co-Chair of the Darfur Consortium, asserted that it was “Impossible. The situation in Sudan is still as bad, or even worse than it was two years ago and it would be a huge blow to the credibility of the AU and its capacity to respond independently to the crisis if Khartoum is elected to chair the continental body.”

He was joined by other activists opposing Sudan’s Presidency in press releases, interviews and press conferences. Their message was clear—Sudan’s candidacy could not be seriously considered alongside continuing violations in Darfur. Ultimately, the issue turned on finding a suitable alternative candidate from the East African block. In the discussions that followed Tanzania stepped forward to offer her candidacy.

Ultimately, Tanzania’s candidacy was accepted and its President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete was named to the Presidency of the Union.

Overall the message from the civil society engagement with the Africa Union seems to be taking root. Similar events are planned for the next AU summit that will take place in Egypt.