Sudan set for UN showdown as African Union summit opens (AFP)

[Eugene]

Sudan set for UN showdown as African Union summit opens

by Chris Otton

Sun Jan 28, 10:25 PM ET

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) - The war in Darfur looked set to overshadow the opening
of the African Union summit, with UN chief Ban Ki-Moon braced for showdown
talks with Sudan on deploying a beefed-up peacekeeping force.

The government in Khartoum's determination to assume the presidency of the
organisation dominated the build-up to the two-day meeting which is also meant
to cover issues ranging from the deployment of peacekeepers to Somalia, global
warming and the first World Cup in Africa.

Chad has already threatened to storm out of the summit in Addis Ababa if other
heads of state allow Sudan to take up the presidency as part of an agreement
at their previous summit, when Khartoum reluctantly agreed to a deferment.

Extensive talks are understood to have taken place behind closed doors in recent
days, with countries such as Ghana, Rwanda and Tanzania touted as possible
alternatives.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070129/wl_afp/africanunionsummit_070129031014

(Reuters)

AU credibility at stake if Sudan gets chair-Amnesty
29 Jan 2007 00:03:37 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Marie-Louise Gumuchian

ADDIS ABABA, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The African Union will damage its credibility
if it elects Sudan as its chair this week, rights group Amnesty International
said on Monday.

African leaders meeting in Addis Ababa on Monday and Tuesday will decide on a
new chairman and a diplomatic deadlock is expected over the candidacy of
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who was promised the position a year
ago.

Continued violence in Sudan's western Darfur region fuelled strong opposition
to Bashir, who has blocked deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping mission there.

"Electing Sudan as chair of the African Union while it defies the decisions of the AU
and U.N. to send peacekeepers to Darfur would undermine the credibility of the AU
as well as its own commitment to uphold human rights in Africa," Tawanda Hondora,
deputy director of Amnesty International's Africa programme, said in a statement.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L2831438.htm

[Eugene]

1. African snub to Sudan over Darfur (BBC)

Last Updated: Monday, 29 January 2007, 13:17 GMT

African snub to Sudan over Darfur

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has again been bypassed in his bid
to become chairman of the African Union because of the conflict in Darfur.

Mr Bashir had been due to take on the role but it has instead been given
to Ghana's President John Kufuor.

Chad had threatened to leave the AU if Mr Bashir became its leader, while
Amnesty International warned that the body's credibility would be damaged.

Sudan's government is accused of backing brutal militias in Darfur.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6310025.stm