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After blocking Gadaffi’s bid for a second term as AU Chairman, the summiteers toughened their anti-coup rules and called for peacekeepers in Somalia

The reign of Libya’s Moammar el Gadaffi as Chairman of the African Union has ended in a petulant whimper rather than in a big bang for African unity a...

ZIMBABWE

Economic clouds, platinum lining

ZIMBABWE

The President ends his holiday

BLUE LINES

THE INSIDE VIEW

The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s awkwardness with journalists sparked a diplomatic furore after he was quoted at the African Union summit as saying that the UN would ‘work hard to avoid a possible secession’ in Sudan. Furious officials at the Government of South Sudan’s mission to the United States told Africa Confidential it was unacceptable for the UN to take sides ahead of next year’s referendum on independence for the South. Ban’s statement also prompted a request for  clarification from the South’s President, Salva Kiir Mayardit, and local protests. Complicating matters for Secretary General Ban was that he was speaking after remarks by AU Commission President Jean Ping, who is openly pro-Khartoum, suggesting that Southern secession could prompt Sudan’s violent break-up. Some critics note that in 1950, the UN intervened with the USA’s backing in Ban’s homeland to divide the country into North Korea and South Korea. UN Spokesman Farhan Haq insisted that Ban had been misinterpreted and misreported. Another UN official told us Ban was trying to reinvigorate the final stages of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which calls for both parties to make national unity ‘attractive’. Although the UN would not go against the results of the referendum, the official said, it might seek a political deal as part of a two-track strategy; the other track would be preparations for a newly independent state.The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s awkwardness with journalists sparked a diplomatic furore after he was quoted at the African Union summit as saying that the UN would ‘work hard to avoid a possible secession’ in Sudan. Furious officials at the Government of South Sudan’s mission to the United States told Africa Confidential it was unacceptable for the UN to take sides ahead of next year’s referendum on independence for the South. Ban’s statement also prompted a request for  clarification from the South’s President, Salva Kiir Mayardit, and local protests. Complicating matters for Secretary General Ban was that he was speaking after remarks by AU Commission President Jean Ping, who is openly pro-Khartoum, suggesting that Southern secession could prompt Sudan’s violent break-up. Some critics note that in 1950, the UN intervened with the USA’s backing in Ban’s homeland to divide the country into North Korea and South Korea. UN Spokesman Farhan Haq insisted that Ban had been misinterpreted and misreported. Another UN official told us Ban was trying to reinvigorate the final stages of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which calls for both parties to make national unity ‘attractive’. Although the UN would not go against the results of the referendum, the official said, it might seek a political deal as part of a two-track strategy; the other track would be preparations for a newly independent state.

MOZAMBIQUE

The country gets richer, the party gets stronger

The new Prime Minister backs the President’s push for a state-run economy and a tougher line against the opposition

SUDAN | ANALYSIS

Southern leaders compete for a new state

There are fears that the thrice-delayed national elections, now due on 8 April, could trigger an escalation of fighting ...

SUDAN

Three leaders who count in the South

Salva Kiir Mayardit, President, Government of South Sudan, Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon, GOSS Vice-President, and Paulino ...

AFRICA | UNITED STATES

More money for the military

The Pentagon is expanding the reach and role of its new Africa command after a shaky start

AFRICA | UNITED STATES

Who’s who in Africom

Theresa Whelan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for African Affairs, General William ‘Kip’ Ward, Commander, Africo...

AFRICA | UNITED STATES

Warriors and diplomats

The United States Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany, represents a remarkable shift in policy over little more than a ...

BLUE LINES

THE INSIDE VIEW

The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s awkwardness with journalists sparked a diplomatic furore after he was quoted at the African Union summit as saying that the UN would ‘work hard to avoid a possible secession’ in Sudan. Furious officials at the Government of South Sudan’s mission to the United States told Africa Confidential it was unacceptable for the UN to take sides ahead of next year’s referendum on independence for the South. Ban’s statement also prompted a request for  cla...

KENYA

An American agreement

After a decade of arguments over sharing power at the centre, the politicians now agree they want a US-style presidentia...


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