- The former South Africa president Thabo Mbeki has been appointed to chair a committee to investigate human rights violations in Darfur. His appointment by the African Union follows the International Criminal Court ruling on Wednesday to indict Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
South Africa's Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said Mr Mbeki's role was to mediate between the ICC and Sudan.
The AU which has pleaded with the ICC to delay the charges on President Al Bashir for a year, fearing his indictment could further destabilise the situation in Darfur, held a special session to find ways to halt the ICC warrant.
Ms Nkosazana-Dlamini said the ICC’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Bashir was regrettable, and that South Africa has accepted the AU’s initial response to the ICC’s decision.
“South Africa has never countenanced any acts of impunity. However, South Africa supported the decision of the AU to defer the issuing of the warrant of arrest against President Bashir by a year to give the peace processes in the Sudan a chance,” Ms Dlamini-Zuma told local media.
Mr Mbeki brokered the deal for Zimbabwe's political rivals to share power following last year's disputed elections. He was however accused by some of being too lenient on President Robert Mugabe.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir yesterday rejected the arrest warrant issued by the ICC against him, saying the warrant was just a colonialists stunt to get Sudanese resources.
The AU Sudanese ambassador, Mohieldin Ahmed Salim, has in the special session called on all the AU members to pull out of the International court in protest against the warrant, which he said was unjustly.
He urged members to withdraw from the Rome Statute that established the world’s first permanent war crimes court.
The decision came as a shock to many Africa leaders fearing his indictment distabilise the fragile Darfur region, which government and rebel forces had advanced to resolve the crisis.
Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to Sudan to reconsider its decision of firing 13 international aid groups in Darfur aiding an estimated 4.7 million people.
“The decision by the government of Sudan to expel 13 non-governmental organisations involved in aid operations in Darfur will, if implemented, cause irrevocable damage to humanitarian operations there,” the UN statement said.
The Darfur conflict started in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated Khartoum government complaining of discrimination and neglect in the Darfur region. The six year conflict in Sudan has killed more than 300,000 people with more others displaced.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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