Mauritania Deadline Set

A continental workshop on the Economic Partnership Agreements between European and African countries will be held in Addis Ababa to analyse whether inconsistency between regional objectives and initial bilateral trade agreements involving some African countries and their European Union trading partners will jeopardise Africa’ s integration agenda. Meanwhile, African leaders attending the United Nations (UN) summit highlighted the challenges they face in funding basic services such as health and sanitation because of the soaring costs of fuel and basic foods and called for measures to be taken to address these at the international level, including debt cancellation, more research on seed variation and assistance with irrigation technology among others.

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU) has given the coup leaders in Mauritania until October 6 to restore constitutional order in the country through the unconditional restoration of President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi and has declared as null all constitutional, institutional and legislative measures taken by the junta after the coup. Nevertheless, the new Mauritanian leaders, who enjoy the support of the majority of parliamentarians, have rejected the AU ultimatum describing it as non constructive and not in the interest of Mauritania. While, members of parliament have themselves adopted their own road map for the resumption of constitutional order. Also in peace and security news, the AU has strongly condemned Somali rebel assaults on its peacekeepers describing the attacks as ‘calculated provocation and intended to show its mission as partisan in the ongoing conflict so its troops could easily become a target’. As a result of these continual attacks on its troops, the AU has restated its call on the UN Security Council to immediately authorise the deployment of peacekeepers in the country and appealed to the international community to censure the acts of aggression and terrorism in Somalia.

Meanwhile, the panel of African eminent personalities is set to continue monitoring the political developments in Kenya to ensure that the coalition government delivers on its promises, especially in relation to constitutional reform, land reform, youth unemployment, and national cohesion. Meanwhile, the AU chairman, President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, has dismissed fear that the resignation of President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa could put the Zimbabwe power-sharing deal at risk, reaffirming the AU’s commitment to assist.

Participants at a regional conference in Kampala appealed to African countries to ensure that cluster bombs are banned, while the UN has called on all countries to sign a treaty in Oslo on 3 December that will outlaw the production of cluster munitions.

Finally, the Chinese government and the AU have signed a contract agreement for the construction of the African Union Conference Centre as another step in the partnership between China and Africa.