au weekly 19 march 2014
DESCRIPTION
Weekly update on key issues at the African Union by Oxfam Liaison Office with The African UnionTRANSCRIPT
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AU WEEKLY
PEACE AND SECURITY
AU WEEKLY…keeping you updated
19- 26 March , 2014
In this issue• South Sudan Commission of
Inquirysworn-in
• PSC holds induction for NewMembers
• Namibia honours its pledge toAU efforts in Central AfricanRepublic(MISCA)
• Japan donates $5 million toAU for CAR, Sudan and SouthSudan
• President Salva Kirr Mayarditattends IGAD Extra-OrdinarySummit
• MISCA welcomes Progress inRebuilding the CAR ArmedForces
• The African Union urgesLibyan stakeholders to resolvedifferences
• AMISOM,SomaliNationalArmycapturethesixthtownfromAl-Shabaab
• The AU Commission of Inquiryon Human Rights to visit SouthSudaninEarlyJanuary
ThePeaceandSecurityCouncil,throughMozambique,ChairoftheMonthofMarchandtheAUCPeaceandSecurityCouncilSecretariat organised an induction workshop newly electedandreturningmembersofthePSCinDebreZeitfrom14to15March2014.InordertoenhancecollaborationandcooperationbetweenthePSCandCivilSocietyOrganizations(CSOs),intheareaofpeace,securityandstability inAfrica,thePSCinvitedthe Institute for Security Studies (ISS) andOxfam internationalLiaisonOffice to theAfrican Union tomakepresentations onInsightsofresearchinstitutionsregardingpeaceandsecurityinAfricaandtheroleofCivilSocietyOrganizations(CSOs)inthepromotionofpeace,securityandstabilityinAfricarespectively.PSCnewmembersforthetwoyeartenure(2014–2016)includeBurundi,Chad,Ethiopia,Tanzania,Libya,Namibia,SouthAfrica,Gambia,GuineaandNiger.
@Oxfam_AU Oxfam Oxfam International Liaison Office with the African Union: OI-AU
Membersof theCommissionof Inquiry on South Sudanappointedon 7March 2014bytheChairpersonoftheAUCommission, Dr. NkosazanaDlamini Zuma have beensworn in. Former PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo is thechair of the commission,appointed alongside himare 4 members tasked withproviding accountability,
reconciliationandhealing.
During his preliminaryaddress, PresidentObasanjogave his assurances to theCommission that he willleave no stone unturned,and in accordance withthe mandate and terms ofreferenceoftheCommissionof Inquiry, that thoseresponsible must not getawaywithimpunity.
TheCommission is expectedto investigate human rightsviolations and other abusescommittedduringthearmedconflictthatbrokeoutinSouthSudan in mid-December2013.Itisexpectedtosubmitits report to the Peace andSecurityCouncilin3months.
South Sudan Commission of Inquiry sworn-in
PSC holds induction for New Members
Further Reading: http://www.peaceau.org
Further Reading: http://www.peaceau.org
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Further reading: www.peaceau.org
Further reading: www.peaceau.org
On Friday 14March, theAUreceived USD 500,000 fromNamibia to the Peace Fundto support the financing ofthe African-led InternationalSupport Mission to theCentral African Republic(MISCA).Namibiahadmade
Japan handed over acheque of usd50 million totheAfricanUnion to supportcivilian components of theAfrican led InternationalSupport Mission in theCentral African Republicas well as other stabilityinitiatives in South Sudan
Republic of South SudanPresident, Salva Kiir wasamong IGAD Heads ofState and Governmentthat attended the 12thIGAD Summit to discuss thesituation in South SudanheldinAddisAbabaon13thMarch2014.TheSummitwasalsoattendedbytheleadersof Sudan, Djibouti, Kenya,
The African-led InternationalSupport Mission in theCentral African Republic- CAR (MISCA) welcomescontinuing progress inrebuilding theArmedForcesof the country. The SpecialRepresentative of theChairperson of the AfricanUnion (AU) Commission inCAR and Head of MISCA,
this pledge in response tothe request by AU Peaceand Security Council (PSC)at its 413thmeetingheldon16 January 2014, for the AUMember States to mobilizeadequate support for theMISCA to help resolve the
andSudan.Speakingduringthe handover ceremony onFriday 14th March, JapanAmbassadortoEthiopiaandPermanent Representativeto the AU, H.E. Mr. KazuhiroSuzuki stated that thecontribution demonstratesJapan’s acknowledgment
Uganda and Somalia; aswellastheAUCChairpersonand the IGAD ExecutiveSecretary. The Summitauthorised the deploymentof a protection andDeterrent Force (PDF) withtroops from IGAD memberstates as part of the IGADMonitoring and VerificationMechanism in South Sudan.
General Jean-Marie MichelMokoko welcomes theefforts of the CAR TransitionAuthorities to reconstitutethe country’s security forcesand pledges the AU’ssupport in that regard. TheSpecial Representativenoted with satisfaction that,accordingtotheCARmilitaryauthorities,nearly70percent
multidimensional crisis in theCAR. Namibia respondedto this appeal during theDonors’Conferenceheldon1February2014.
of the value of the AUintervention in CAR and itconfidence inAfrica’sabilityto address this and otherconflictsintheregion.
It also denounced andcondemnedallhumanrightsviolationscommittedinSouthSudan and welcomed theestablishment of the AUCommissionofInquiry.
of members of the FACAhavereportedbackforworkand that efforts are beingexerted toencourage thosewho have not yet resumedtheirdutiestodoso.
Namibia honours its pledge to AU efforts in Central African Republic
Japan donates $5 million to AU for CAR, Sudan and South Sudan
President Salva Kirr Mayardit attends IGAD Extra-Ordinary Summit
MISCA welcomes Progress in Rebuilding the CAR Armed Forces
Further Reading: http://issuu.com/brendachikwehelenmofya/docs/final_communqiue_of_25th_extra-ordi
Further reading: www.peaceau.org
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AU WEEKLY
AUC Chairperson, Dr.NkosazanaDlamini-Zuma,on13th March 2014 expressedconcernover thecontinuedinstability and insecurityin Libya. The ChairpersonreaffirmsAU’s support to theefforts aimed at stabilizingthe security and political
situation, strengtheningstate authority throughoutthe national territory,and ensuring the earlycompletion of the ongoingtransition. She also stressedthe need for all concernedto cease all activities thatfurther complicate the
situation and appealedLibyan stakeholders tocommit themselves to settletheirdifferencesbypeacefulmeansand towork towardsnational dialogue andreconciliation.
The African Union urges Libyan stakeholders to resolve differences
Further reading: www.peaceau.org
AMISOM, Somali National Army capture the sixth town from Al-ShabaabOn 13 March 2014, theSomali National Army (SNA)backed by AU Mission inSomalia (AMISOM) troopscaptured an Al-Shabaabstronghold,BuulaBurdetownin Hiraan region, bringingto six the number of townsliberated from Al- Qaeda–linked terrorists in the pasttwoweeks,a topAUofficial
has said. The AU SpecialRepresentative for Somaliaand Head of AMISOM,AmbassadorMahamatSalehAnnadif, said the captureof Buula Burde town was amajorvictoryfortheSNAandAMISOMforcesandaboostfor the peace restorationprocess in Somalia. Sofar, the joint operations
betweentheSomaliNationalArmy and AMISOM whichbegan inMarchhaveso farliberated the top 5 cities inthe Bay and Bakool regionsin Sector 3, namely Hudur,Rabdhure,Ted, Weel dheynandBurdhubow.
Further reading: www.peaceau.org
The AU Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights to visit South Sudan in Early JanuaryFollowing the swearing inceremonyofitsmembers,on12th March 2014 the SouthSudanCommissionof Inquiryon Human rights adoptedits terms of reference,outlined a work plan andagreed on the requiredsupport to fulfill itsmandate.According to a pressrelease issued by the AUC,
the Commission of Inquiryidentified initial activities tobeundertakeninthecomingweeks, including meetingswith the Government ofSouth Sudan, the armedopposition and other SouthSudanese stakeholders;consultations with theIntergovernmental Authorityon Development (IGAD);
AU bodies such as the AUHigh-Level ImplementationPanel (AUHIP) as well asinternationalactors,notably,the United Nations; non-governmental organizationsandotherrelevantbodies.
Further reading: www.peaceau.org
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Further reading: www.peaceau.org`
OnMarch172014, theAUCChairperson, Dr. NkosazanaDlamini Zuma, and Kenya’sCabinet Secretary in theMinistry of Mining, whodoubles as theChairmanoftheGoverningCounciloftheSouthernandEasternAfrican
Mineral Centre (SEAMIC),H.E. Najib Balal, met inAddis Ababa to discuss thechallengesandopportunitiesin theAfricanmining sector.The two agreed on theimportanceof thecontinentcoherently speaking
Africa to speak and act as one on extractive industry issues
and acting together oncommodities and miningissues and collectivelyworkingtoattaintheAfricanMiningVision
ECONOMIC AFFAIRS AND LIVELIHOODS
The African-led InternationalSupport Mission in theCentral African Republic-CAR(MISCA),on11thMarch2014 completed the escortof another 120 vehiclesinto Bangui. Most of thevehicles were heavy-dutytrucks transporting shippingcontainers loaded withcommercial goods andhumanitarian supplies fromthe Cameroon seaport of
DoualaintotheCAR.Thisbringsto1,205thetotalnumberofvehiclesMISCAhassuccessfullyescortedfromtheCameroonbordertotheCARcapital,sincetheMissionwaslaunchedon19December2013.ThesupplieswillbehandedovertotheCARauthorities,inaccordancewithinternationalHumanRightsandHumanitarianlaw.
MISCA completes escort of humanitarian supplies
Further reading: www.peaceau.org`
On 14March, theMinisterialWorking Group on Tourismmet in Seychelles to discussstrategies on how to makean African brand throughtourism while attractingvisitors to choose Africa asmajor destination in thecontextofAUAgenda2063.
Commissioner forInfrastructure and Energy,Dr. Elham Mamoud Ibrahimin her opening speech saidthat, “This strategy whichenvisages Africa’s prosperity
in the next 50 years since2013 isknownas theAfricanUnion (AU) Agenda 2063.It will be comprehensiveand articulate on theaspirations of the Africanpeoples in all their socio-economicendeavours”. TheCommissioner added thatthe AUC is well aware ofthehugedirectand indirectcontribution of tourism tothe economies of Africancountriesatbothmacroandmicrolevels.
Tourism within Agenda 2063 The ministers requestedthe AUC to engagewith the UNWTO tosign a Memorandumof Understanding onCooperation in tourismdevelopment strategies inAfricaasoneoftheconcreteoutcomes to move agenda2063forward.
Further reading: www.ie.au.int
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AU WEEKLY
18-22March
10thComprehensiveAfricaAgricultureDevelopmentProgrammePartnershipPlatform
Durban,SouthAfrica
Dept.ofRuralEconomyandAgriculture
DATE EVENT VENUE DEPARTMENT CONTACT
18March
ParticipationofthePSCChairatthePan-AfricanParliamentlothAnniversaryDayCelebrationasa“SpecialGuest”
SouthAfrica
UPCOMING EVENTS
21-24March
Extra-OrdinaryConferenceofAfricanMinistersofEconomyandFinance(CAMEF)
Abuja,Nigeria
24March
ConsiderationoftheReportoftheChairpersonoftheCommissiononthesituationsinMaliandtheSahel;
BriefingontheSituationinSomalia
AfricanUnion,AddisAbaba,Ethiopia
PeaceandSecurity
25March
OpensessiononmitigatingvulnerabilitiesofwomenandchildreninarmedconflictsinAfrica
AfricanUnion,AddisAbaba,Ethiopia
PeaceandSecurity
19-24March
17thEditionoftheAfrica–ArabFairon“EnhancingAfrica-ArabCooperationinHealthand
Casablanca,Morocco