Sudan under fire as AU summit opens

ADDIS ABABA – A summit of African Union leaders began yesterday, with Sudan receiving a public dressing-down over violence in Darfur that also threatens Khartoum’s ambitions to chair the organisation.

New UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon was set to add his weight to the mounting pressure on Omar al-Beshir’s regime when he holds showdown talks with the Sudanese president on the sidelines of the summit. The summit, held amid massive security in the Ethiopian capital, was also focusing on efforts to put together a peacekeeping force for lawless Somalia as well as issues such as global warming and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.The situation in Darfur, however, dominated both the build-up to the summit and its opening speech by AU commission chief Alpha Oumar Konare, who said Sudan must cease aerial bombardments in the troubled region.The Sudanese government “should stop the bombardments and massacres” in Darfur, Konare told African heads of state, echoing remarks made by Ban ahead of his arrival in Ethiopia.Ban’s meeting with Beshir is expected to be particularly tense after the former South Korean foreign minister held the president personally responsible for recent Darfur violence.”I would urge him to cease all his bombings and attacks on civilians,” the UN chief said on Sunday.Human rights groups have expressed outrage at the idea of Khartoum assuming the presidency of the 53-member African Union given its record in Darfur.The conflict has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 200 000 people and displaced nearly 2,5 million people since 2003, according to UN figures disputed by Khartoum.The UN wants to send troops to bolster a struggling AU peacekeeping force already in Darfur but Khartoum is trying to limit the UN presence to a supporting role.UN sources said they expected Sudan would be more amenable to pressure if it is elected to chair the AU, believing a diplomatic snub would merely leave it even more isolated.Beshir told AFP there would be “no problem” if Sudan were not elected chairman, marking a significant change of tone in previous statements from his top lieutenants.Nampa-AFPThe summit, held amid massive security in the Ethiopian capital, was also focusing on efforts to put together a peacekeeping force for lawless Somalia as well as issues such as global warming and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.The situation in Darfur, however, dominated both the build-up to the summit and its opening speech by AU commission chief Alpha Oumar Konare, who said Sudan must cease aerial bombardments in the troubled region.The Sudanese government “should stop the bombardments and massacres” in Darfur, Konare told African heads of state, echoing remarks made by Ban ahead of his arrival in Ethiopia.Ban’s meeting with Beshir is expected to be particularly tense after the former South Korean foreign minister held the president personally responsible for recent Darfur violence.”I would urge him to cease all his bombings and attacks on civilians,” the UN chief said on Sunday.Human rights groups have expressed outrage at the idea of Khartoum assuming the presidency of the 53-member African Union given its record in Darfur.The conflict has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 200 000 people and displaced nearly 2,5 million people since 2003, according to UN figures disputed by Khartoum.The UN wants to send troops to bolster a struggling AU peacekeeping force already in Darfur but Khartoum is trying to limit the UN presence to a supporting role.UN sources said they expected Sudan would be more amenable to pressure if it is elected to chair the AU, believing a diplomatic snub would merely leave it even more isolated.Beshir told AFP there would be “no problem” if Sudan were not elected chairman, marking a significant change of tone in previous statements from his top lieutenants.Nampa-AFP