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13th Africa Union Summit held in Sirte, Libya The 13th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union was held in Sirte, Libya from July 1st to 3rd, 2009. The Summit considered various agenda items including the theme of the Summit (investing in agriculture for economic growth and food security). However, the consideration of the peace and security situation in the continent and the transformation of the African Union Commission into an African Union Authority dominated the discussion. The Summit, which deliberated extensively on all conflict situations in the continent, adopted a historic decision concerning the conflict in Somalia. The Summit made this bold and unprecedented decision, in line with previous IGAD Ministerial and African Union Peace and Security Council Communiqués, of calling for sanctions against all those foreign actors, both within and outside the region, especially Eritrea, that are providing support to the armed groups engaged in destabilization activities in Somalia, attacks against the TFG, the civilian population and AMISOM, as well as against the Somali individuals and entities working towards undermining the peace and reconciliation efforts and regional stability. It is the first time that the Assembly is calling for sanctions against a fellow Member State of the African Union and the decision speaks volumes on how fed up the region and the continent are with Eritrea's destabilization actions in the region as a whole and in Somalia in particular. During the debate that was made on this issue, all countries of the region and beyond starting with the President of Somalia, H.E. Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, underlined the fact that with thousands of foreign extremist militants supported by Eritrea taking the critical role in the fighting in Somalia, the conflict has become part of a war waged by Al Qaeda as part of a much wider sinister agenda. It is this collusion with and support for these groups by Eritrea that led the Summit to condemn Eritrea and to call for sanctions against it. Contrary to its previous statements including by the President of Eritrea himself, calling for war against AMISOM and the overthrow of the TFG, the Eritrean representative engaged in a futile and desperate exercise of denial and an attempt to disguise his country's actions and to portray it as an advocate of a political solution in Somalia. The facts on the ground are, however, incontestable with Eritrea serving both as supplier of and a conduit for military support to foreign extremists in Somalia. It was therefore appropriate that the Assembly refused to be duped by Eritrea's subterfuge. In fact, the delegations which took the floor on this issue underlined that the regime in Asmara is the spoiler of the Horn of Africa region, by continuously provoking conflict with its neighbours, and that the region as a whole cannot be in the wrong. It is noteworthy that no delegation did so much as speak in favour or in defense of Eritrea. Another case raised was the on-going border crisis between Eritrea and Djibouti. In this regard, the Summit urged Eritrea to urgently and fully comply with the repeated demands of the African Union and the UN Security Council on the border crisis between Eritrea and Djibouti. It is to be recalled that the 11th and 12th Ordinary sessions of the Assembly held respectively in July 2008 in Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) and February 2009 in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), as well as Resolution 1862 of the UN Security Council had called for the return to the status quo ante and the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from occupied Djiboutian territory. During the Summit in Sirte, the Eritrean representative engaged in a contradictory attempt to conceal his country's actions. He first denied the existence of the crisis itself during the meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the African Union, which precedes the Summit meeting, and then during the Summit meeting acknowledged the existence of the crisis but he preferred to refrain from speaking on the matter stating that there are discreet efforts to resolve the crisis. This prevarication regarding the crisis with Djibouti and the new efforts by Eritrea to try to disguise its role in Somalia must be rejected outright. It is now up to the UN Security Council to heed the call of the continent for the immediate implementation of sanctions against the regime in Asmara. There is no other alternative for maintaining peace in the Horn of Africa. --------- It is to be recalled that the February Summit of the Union had decided to transform the African Union Commission into an Authority. It was also decided that the Executive Council should convene an extraordinary meeting to study the functions and size of the Authority, the functions of the Secretaries of the Authority and the financial implications of establishing such an Authority. The Council met last April in Tripoli, Libya to consider these matters and came up with conclusions on how to transform the Commission into an Authority. The main debate during the deliberations of the Council revolved around the question of whether the Authority was of an intergovernmental nature. In the end, the Council agreed that the African Union is a Union of independent and sovereign States and that it is an inter-governmental body and thus all its Organs, including the Authority, would, in essence, be one of coordination and harmonization of policies in various sectors. The Authority would also represent member states in international forums if and when mandated by them. These Conclusions were submitted to the Summit. Some amendments to the Conclusions of the Council were submitted for the consideration of the Summit. These amendments, in effect, would obviate the need for AU’s organs such as the PSC and the Executive Council, practically rendering the Authority an independent organ free from the guidance of the Executive Council and the Assembly. The debate was particularly heated on the functions of the Secretaries. More particularly the amendments dealing with Defense & foreign policy in effect implied that there would be common foreign policy and common defense for Africa contrary to the spirit of the previous decision. After a long debate the recommendations of the Council were endorsed, with the understanding that the secretaries will only have the functions of initiating common policies and programmes in respect of the portfolios assigned to them, submit them to Union Organs for consideration and adoption and monitor the implementation of decisions. Far from being functionally independent power units, the Secretaries of the Authority would have the roles of coordinating the various policies of member states. In the final analysis, the debate was concluded by agreeing to have altogether ten portfolios including the president, the deputy president and eight secretaries. However, there appeared to be confusion with regard to the number of secretaries and Ethiopia voiced its concern that the actual number of secretaries was not established during adoption. It was finally agreed that whatever discrepancies there were between what was actually agreed and the text adopted would have to be verified in accordance with the audio transcript of the discussion. ------- The 21st Summit of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) was held on 30 June 2009, in Sirte, Libya, on the eve of the 13th African Union Assembly under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. The two agenda items considered by the Summit were integration of NEPAD into African Union structures and processes and Africa's Engagement with External Partners, focusing particularly on the preparations for the July 2009 G8/Africa Outreach in L’Aquila, Italy. Prime Minister Meles presented the report and proposals of the Committee to the Assembly of the Union. Regarding the integration of NEPAD, the HSGIC recalled the decision of the 2nd AU Assembly in Maputo in 2003, the 13-point conclusions of the Algiers NEPAD Brainstorming Summit of March 2007 as endorsed by the 10th AU Assembly and the outcomes of the Dakar NEPAD Review Summit of April 2008 as the basis for the integration. The HSGIC further agreed to recommend to the Assembly for endorsement of the key recommendations in the report of the consultancy-study of the AU/NEPAD integration. In this regard, the HSGIC agreed with the proposals to establish the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) as a technical body of the AU, in replacement of the NEPAD Secretariat. It also proposed to maintain the HSGIC as a sub-committee of the AU Assembly. It was underlined that the HSGIC operates as per the mandate given to it by the AU Assembly, to which it ultimately reports and does not take final decisions. Regarding preparations for the July 2009 G8/Africa Outreach in L'Aquila, Italy, the 21st NEPAD HSGIC Summit noted and endorsed the recommendations in the briefing by the NEPAD CEO. A number of African Leaders are invited to attend the G8/Africa Outreach. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is also attending the G-8 Summit in his capacity as the Chairperson of the HSGIC. As indicated above, one of the recommendations of the Summit was to maintain the HSGIC. However, there was a view from one delegation that the integration of NEPAD into the AU would eliminate the continuity of the HSGIC. In light of the integration of NEPAD into the African Union, the Assembly decided to maintain the Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee as an interim arrangement so that they can continue to play a leadership role especially with regards to the G-8 Summit. Since no final conclusion was reached on the matter, further debate is expected in the upcoming AU Summit. -------- Ato Minelik Alemu Getahun, Director General for International Law and Consular Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been appointed as a member of the newly established African Union Commission on International Law. The assembly made the appointment based on the election conducted by the Executive Council. The African Union Commission on International Law (AUCIL) is established by Article 2 of the Statute of the African Union Commission on International Law and in accordance with Article 5(2) of the Constitutive Act of the African Union. It is composed of eleven (11) members of recognised competence in international law, who are nationals of Member States and who must serve in their personal capacity. -------- The summit considered the report of the AU commission on the meeting of African State Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC. The matter was originally brought to the attention of the African Union Assembly in relation to the criminal proceedings on the Sudanese president before ICC and the issuance of an arrest warrant. Concerns were raised on the effect this would have on the fragile peace efforts underway in the Sudan. Therefore, even though the AU’s commitment to combat impunity was reiterated, it was argued that the task of ensuring a peaceful settlement of the situation in Darfur and the whole of Sudan has to be given a priority. It was in line with the above consideration that the AU Assembly in its 12th session held in Addis Ababa called up on the UN Security Council to defer the processes initiated by the ICC, pursuant to the UNSC’s mandate under article 16 of the ICC Statute. It did also call for the holding of a meeting of member states that are party to the ICC Statute to consult on the work of the ICC in relation to Africa and come up with recommendations. During the Summit the outcome and recommendations of the meeting of member states party to the Rome Statute were presented to the assembly. After deliberating on the recommendations, the Assembly adopted a decision calling for a meeting of AU member states party and non-party to the statute to prepare for the review conference on the Statute to be held in May 2010 in Kampala, Uganda. Taking in to account the lack of response from the UN Security Council to a call for deferral of the proceeding against the Sudanese President, the Assembly decided that the AU member states shall not cooperate with ICC pursuant to article 98 of the statute relating to immunities with respect to the surrender and arrest of the Sudanese president.
************** Ethiopia-Sudan - Keeping the Momentum As part of their commitment to keep the momentum of their relationship going, Ethiopia and Sudan are having successive and successful bilateral consultations since last April. Following meetings of the two Ministerial Committees (Political and Economic) in the preceding month, the Social Affairs Committee concluded its first meeting last weekend. The Social Committee’s scope encompasses co-operations in the field of social and labor affairs, education, health, tourism & culture as well as youth & sport. The cooperation in this cross-cutting area has a catalytic role in the whole gamut of relations that the two countries currently enjoy. The joint meeting has reviewed the existing agreements and identified key elements in each agreement. It has also developed an action plan for implementation. The co-operation in the provision of scholarship is part and parcel of the general educational agreement; therefore an agreement was reached to establish a system of frameworks in order to ensure its implementation. It was agreed that the system has to be managed from one center including the selection process. There will also be exchange of profiles between and among universities and research centers to facilitate co-operation in higher education. The labor exchange agreement was another crucial element of the meeting. Signed this year, it stipulates reciprocal exchange of manpower in various sectors in both countries where one has an advantage over the other. The two sides also reached agreement to regulate migrant workers and to facilitate the sending by migrant workers of remittances to their respective home countries. An agreement on Social Welfare and Children was also signed in the meeting. The two countries have agreements of cooperation in health, culture, sport and youth. It is believed that the implementation of the agreement in the social sector will help reinforce the people to people relations of the two countries. The parties have also agreed to exchange quarterly reports on the level of implementation.
************** Ethiopian CEWERU endorses its Operational Guidelines The Conflict Early Warning and Response Unit (CEWERU) of Ethiopia, which was established pursuant to the IGAD Protocol establishing the Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism (CEWARN), held a workshop on its operational guidelines and Rapid Response Fund Sensitization in Hawassa in collaboration with the CEWARN office based in Addis Ababa. The workshop discussed and endorsed the operational guidelines for the Ethiopian CEWERU that was introduced at all levels from Federal to the Woreda as well as at Village level Peace Committees. The workshop was officially opened by the President of the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State (SNNPS), Ato Shiferaw Shigute. In his opening remark, Ato Shiferaw underlined that the CEWARN Mechanism is pivotal to address challenges especially of the pastoralist communities. He also added that the Mechanisms so far introduced are complimentary with and will support those endeavors by the Federal and Regional Governments to bring about a structural transformation in the lives of those communities. The draft operational guidelines presented in the workshop were endorsed after extensive discussions. The Operational Guidelines for CEWERU coordinated activities will create a clear framework of responsibilities and accountabilities for all the CEWERU organs at all levels. It would also allow Ethiopia to fulfill its commitments in the implementation of the CEWARN protocol. A presentation was also made to the participants to raise awareness about the Rapid Response Fund (RRF) that was created to assist the response mechanism of Member States. The RRF will assist in the response framework through building the capacity of member states at local levels. It involves details of project formulation, evaluation, endorsement and funding for member states. A planning meeting was held after the workshop in which the representatives of Ethiopia, Kenya and the Sudan took part. Present in the meeting were the Provincial Commissioner of the Rift valley from Kenya, the Peace Commissioner of the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) and the Head of Security of the SNNP Government from Ethiopia. The planning meeting considered the various difficulties that pastoralist communities face along the common borders, due to lack of pasture and water, the existence of cattle rustling and poverty. After extensive discussion, the representatives underlined the need to organize a peace conference that would bring together representatives of the communities of the Turkana, Dassanech, Nyangatom, Topoza and the Surmas within two months in the town of Turmi, Ethiopia. The upcoming meeting would also bring together representatives of governments, civil societies, elders and religious leaders and NGOs that are active in the pastoralist communities.
************** This week the IGAD Council of Ministers held its 33rd Extra-ordinary session on 10th July 2009 in Addis Ababa to further deliberate on Somalia as well as developments in the region and beyond. Having recalled the recent decisions by the IGAD and the AU, the council once again called on the UN Security Council to take immediate measures to address the deteriorating situation in Somalia while condemning the continued aggression against the country. The Council has agreed to commit IGAD member-states to support peace and security in Somalia and provide all necessary support within their means to the TFG to strengthen its institutions. Most importantly, the member states of IGAD have agreed to identify the specific areas of support they each can provide to the TFG within a period of less than one week. Specifically on the issue of security, the IGAD Council of Ministers reiterated its call to the AU-PSC and UNSC to review the rules of engagement of AMISOM to enable it to engage in active defense operations. Given the rapidly changing situation in Somalia, the Council further called on the UNSC to review its previous resolutions to allow the front-line states to deploy their troops in Somalia, if necessary. It was also this week that the TFG signed an agreement with the London based Price Water House Coopers firm in order to secure and manage the financial pledges made to the TFG. In this regard, the Council of Ministers of IGAD called on all the countries and organizations that made pledges in Brussels to make good on their pledges immediately. Similarly in this week the UNSC is considering the issue of Somalia and is expected to reaffirm its support to the Djibouti peace process and the TFG, and to condemn the recent flare up of fighting caused by foreign extremists who are bent on undermining the legitimate and internationally recognized Government of Somalia. The concrete efforts that have been made by IGAD, AU-PSC and the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government to reverse the dangerous trend in Somalia and its ramifications to the region and beyond can achieve little, if any, unless the UNSC comes out more seriously than its business-as-usual approach. On the other hand, President Sheikh Sherif Sheikh Ahmed visited Addis Ababa from 6-7 July 2009 and held discussions with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin. President Sheikh Sheriff thanked Ethiopia for its efforts and assistance to bring peace and stability in Somalia. He particularly emphasized that the situation in Somalia is currently very critical and that it is no longer a civil war limited to Somalia, as the extremists and their supporters have an agenda that can go beyond borders. The President informed Ethiopian Government leaders that his visit is aimed at garnering support to the TFG from Ethiopia, the region and the international community. In these efforts, he said, Ethiopia continues to play a pivotal role. According to him, the priorities of his Government are to have the AMISOM forces reach its projected strength of 8,000 men and its rules of engagement amended. Alongside with this, maintaining proper and professional Somali army through training is a critical task. Securing the pledges made in Brussels in April 2009 at the Somali donors’ conference is another important element that is being pursued by the TFG and he requested support on this issue. He emphasized that implementation of the IGAD, AU-PSC and the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government decisions are extremely important. On their part, the Ethiopian Government leaders agreed on the priorities put forth by the President. Prime Minister Meles assured the President that Ethiopia will help the TFG as much as it can and indicated to him that there are many countries in Africa, Europe and the Americas that have expressed willingness to support the TFG in different ways. The Prime Minister emphasized that, while the level of political and diplomatic support to the TFG at the international level is unprecedented since the last 18 years, there remains another crucial step of turning such positive attitude to a practical and quick assistance to Somalia. The TFG on its part needs to continue to engage the peoples of Somalia politically by, among other things, deploying its officials to their respective constituencies. In addition, the TFG has to bring on board all forces and elements in Somalia that are opposed to the extremists. Ethiopian Government leaders reiterated the need for creating a Somali national force with the requisite discipline and professionalism as the way forward. They also expressed Ethiopia’s readiness to do its best to assist in this effort together with other countries in the region as well as the international community. On the issue of beefing up AMISOM and amending its mandate, Ethiopian Government leaders assured the President that Ethiopia as current chair of the IGAD will exert its efforts at all levels to achieve the desired objectives. Similarly, Ethiopia expressed its readiness to assist the TFG, in any way it can, in its efforts to get the pledges made by the donors in Brussels in April 2009 are really fulfilled. Finally, the top leadership of the Government of Ethiopia and Somalia agreed to continue to work together on all issues of common interest in order to reverse the critical situation in Somalia while underlining the need to avoid any parallel initiative at this particular time. Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin also met and discussed with the ambassadors of the Permanente members of the UN Security Council residing in Addis Ababa. The Minister briefed the ambassadors about the recent AU Summit decisions regarding Somalia, Eritrea and the sub region.
************** Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson’s Visit to Ethiopia A US high level delegation led by H.E. Ambassador Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, has paid a two day official visit to Ethiopia. During the visit the delegation held talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, and Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin. The talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi focused on bilateral issues of mutual interest aimed at further broadening the relationship between Ethiopia and the USA, as well as regional issues. In the bilateral area, issues such as how the two countries can better partner to sustain Ethiopia’s economic development and deepen its democratization process were discussed. In this regard, the two sides exchanged views on how the USA can reorient its assistance to Ethiopia with a view to achieving long-term sustainable development in Ethiopia. It should be recalled that this issue was a subject of discussion during the recent visit of Mr. Jacob Lew, Deputy Secretary of State, at the end of last month. On regional issues, particular focus was given to the alarming situation in Somalia and on the need to help the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia. In this regard, Prime Minister Meles expressed his appreciation to the US Government for its robust effort in providing financial and material support to the TFG. However, the Prime Minister underlined that as the extremists and their backers are desperately working to overthrow the TFG before the International Community could get its acts together, time is of the most essence. Ambassador Carson reassured the Prime Minister that the USA will continue to make every effort to help the TFG and in this respect he mentioned the recent announcement by the US Government of a support package of military equipment and money as a clear indication of US commitment to support the legitimate government of Somalia. He also said that the USA will work very closely with the International Community to stop spoilers from overthrowing the TFG and noted the relevance of the decision of the AU Summit in Sirte (Libya) last week. The two sides also discussed the immediate and long-term implications of extremism to the stability of the countries of the Horn of Africa and the wider world at large. During the meeting with Foreign Minister Seyoum, regional issues including the problem of Somalia, and IGAD’s unified front against extremism and terrorism were discussed in greater detail. As the current chair of the IGAD Council of Ministers, Ato Seyoum briefed Ambassador Carson on activities of IGAD and informed him of the Council’s meeting on Friday 10 July 2009 to review developments and to chart the way forward on the issue of Somalia. It should be recalled that the two officials had met in Washington last month, during the meeting on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Minister Seyoum reiterated his appreciation to the positive engagement of the USA in the region including the appointment of a special envoy for the Sudan. The two officials concurred on the fact that bilateral relations between Ethiopia and the USA are on a firm footage, and underlined the need for all stakeholders to work together to bring stability to the Horn region.
************** Africa’s resolve against spoiler Eritrea After the unanimous decision of the African Union calling on the United Nations Security Council to impose sanctions on Eritrea due to its support to terrorist groups in Somalia, Eritrea is making frantic efforts to escape the impending sanction. Eritrea’s leaders have for a long time honed the skill of deflecting criticism and blame for their countless egregious behaviors by playing the victim where they are in fact the culprits. Like the proverbial thief crying thief, they unabashedly point fingers at their victims. Now that the whole world knows them for what they really are, their acrobatics do not seem to do the trick anymore. But they are still trying, blaming Ethiopia for everything that has gone wrong. But Eritrea is not alone in this. In what has become a cliché, some media outlets are trying to portray Eritrea's predicament as an outgrowth of the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact that Eritrea is against the entire region and international peace and security could be well articulated by listing the victims of Eritrea's action. The latest victim is the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG). The TFG is the outcome of the Djibouti Peace Process facilitated by the United Nations and IGAD. The TFG enjoys the full recognition of the African Union and the United Nations. Eritrea is tirelessly working to dismantle this Government through active material and logistical supply to the Al Shabab and foreign extremist fighters. Eritrea's shipment of arms to these extremist groups is well documented and does not raise any doubt. Eritrea itself never disputed this fact. It has since recently been trying to hoodwink the international community by claiming its support to the Al Shabab is only political, whatever that means. But apart from its own recent admission of active support and openly flouting international law by hosting international terrorists, the facts against Eritrea are incontrovertible. The second actor being attacked by Eritrea is AMISOM, the African Union Peacekeeping Mission for Somalia. The idea of deploying peacekeeping force to Somalia to assist the TFG was adopted by IGAD long before Eritrea suspended its membership from IGAD. When IGAD decided to call for the deployment of African forces to assist in the relocation of TFG to Mogadishu, Eritrea was part and parcel of the decision. But when it realized that it could lose the opportunity for destabilizing the region if the TFG succeeded in establishing governance in Somalia, it suspended its membership in IGAD and intensified its acts of destabilization. Even as AMISOM is deployed by the African Union with the full mandate and support of the United Nations Security Council, Eritrea continued its public and reckless calls for attacks against it. It also singled out Uganda and Burundi for vilification for their unflinching support to peace in Somalia by sending peacekeepers currently serving in AMISOM. Finally, Eritrea is on a direct collision course with IGAD and the African Union. The contents of the debates held and the way in which decisions were passed by these sub-regional and regional bodies clearly show that Eritrea's actions are being rejected decisively by all members of these organizations. The most critical voices are not those of Ethiopia but other African countries and the international community who have had enough of the insolence and arrogance of the regime in Eritrea. These decisions calling for sanctions on Eritrea have been adopted unanimously. There was no doubt in the minds of African leaders that Eritrea, one of their own members, should be accountable for the acts of destabilization it committed throughout the region. All of them agree that sending mixed signals or trying to reason with Eritrea has only resulted in the aggravation of Eritrea’s illegal acts. It is, thus, time to act against the regime in Eritrea. The time for doubts and second guessing has passed; the discussion now is which kind of measure is most likely to stop Eritrea's acts of destabilization within the shortest possible time.
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Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Ministry of Foreign Affairs