The magnificent Kigali Convention Center from outside.

As the one week shaky ceasefire seems to hold on in Juba, South Sudan, African leaders sitting at an AU summit in Kigali on Sunday agreed to re-enforce the UN-Mission with a regional force under IGAD if they are to save lives and pacify Juba.

IGAD called on the UN Security Council to give it a mandate that would allow it to separate the parties to the conflict and “pacify Juba”.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had the inception of the recent conflict called for an arms embargo on South Sudan. This however did not get past the AU summit because of opposition from Uganda, which has strong ties to Kiir.
The recent clashes in Juba and other parts of South Sudan are believed to have claimed over 300 lives after forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those supporting his rival Vice-President Riek Machar got engaged in a four-bloody battle.

The violence raised fears of a breakdown in protracted efforts to end a civil war that began in December 2013 with battles in Juba between the same rival groups.

As discussions went on at the meeting that ended on Monday, IGAD Executive Secretary, Mahboub Maalim, proposed a three-fold approach to addressing the South Sudan crisis.

“First, impose an immediate arms embargo on South Sudan. Second, enact additional targeted sanctions on leaders and commanders working to unravel the peace process. Third, fortify the UN Mission in South Sudan, UNMISS,” the IGAD Executive Secretary said.

Many member states argued that it was better to have an African constituted armed force that can be used to handle conflicts like that in South Sudan.

“The UN doesn’t have the mandate to impose peace,” African Union (AU) Peace and Security Commissioner Smail Chergui said at a summit in Kigali.

“They are there where there is peace to keep. African troops are ready to engage in very difficult situations. It is our responsibility,” he added.

There is currently a 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, which has however  faced criticism on many occasions for what critics say is it’s for failure to stem the latest bloodshed or fully protect civilians during the fighting.

Chergui said the mooted force for South Sudan would be modelled on the 3,000 strong Force Intervention Brigade deployed within the UN’s mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which proved decisive in neutralising the M23 rebellion in 2013.

IGAD, a bloc of east African states and the key player behind the proposed force, on Sunday Chergui said the international community would have to persuade Kiir to drop his opposition to the deployment of the new force.

The summit also endorsed a plan for the AU to start withdrawing its 20,000 troops deployed in Somalia in the UN-endorsed AMISOM mission starting from October 2018.

Before that date, there would be “very robust and collective attacks” on Shabab insurgents in the south of the country.

South Sudan warring factions have received the decision to deploy a regional peacekeeping force in the country with mixed reactions.

The new developments have however been received with mixed reactions especially from the 2 warring parties with a government official from Prseident Salvar Kiir’s faction calling it “Unfortunate ” and that it “will not work”, in reference to the decisio taken by Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

“That proposal will not work, because a problem is not solved by another problem and this thinking is unfortunate” said Minister Martin Elia Lomuro in an interview with Sudan Tribune.

Meanwhile the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In opposition (SPLM-IO) under it’s leader Dr. Riek Machar welcomed the move saying it would guarantee security of its officials who feel threatened by attacks from government forces.

Machar’s Spokesperson James Gatdet told the media earlier that a peacekeeping force was long overdue.

“President Kiir is not in control of incidents that occur around him. He is not in control of his army commanders and other organized forces. So how do you trust protection from a leader who is not in control, or who might have been blessing violent actions of his commanders or security personnel?” Gatdet wondered.

IGAD in a statement asked warring factions in South Sudan to demilitarize Juba and give way for regional forces to harmonies relations in Juba.

Earlier, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta told UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon that the region, would urgently provide more troops to the UNMISS and provide protection to leadership and the citizens.

“We have all watched events in South Sudan with sorrow. Our youngest brother has fallen, yet again, into division and violence. It is our responsibility – all of us, but especially those in the region – to restore peace, and to restore it durably,” said President Kenyatta according to the statement from his office.

“Let me be clear: those of us in the region have primary responsibility for peace and security here. But that responsibility is also collective – all of us must think carefully, and work hard, in the cause of peace,” he added.

Kenyatta asked UN Security Council to modify the mandate of UNMISS “so that it can separate those who have turned to violence, so that it can protect the infrastructure South Sudan has built, and so that it can enforce the peace. That is what collective responsibility means.”

The top regional official said that the chiefs of staff from five countries comprising Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan and Uganda have proposed reinforcement of UNMISS troops from the region under the same UNMISS mandate.

Among the proposals was to task the south Sudan government to give way to humanitarian assistance to reach people in need.

“The government must uphold it responsibility and open up corridors to allow UN and humanitarian actors to provide vital supplies and other assistance to the affected civilians, as well as access for medical evacuations,” sounded the call from UNMISS.

Welcome back Morocco?

The summit also saw the first steps of the possible return to the AU of Morocco, the only African state that is not part of the union.

Morocco quit the bloc 32 years ago in protest at its decision to accept Western Sahara as a member.

Morocco maintains that Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is an integral part of the kingdom even though local Sahrawi people led by the Polisario Front have long campaigned for the right to self-determination.

“For a long time our friends have been asking us to return to them, so that Morocco can take up its natural place within its institutional family. The moment has now come,” King Mohammed VI said in a message sent to the summit.

“We consider Morocco a brother country and would be very happy to welcome them back,” said Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama.

“But I think a lot will also depend on the terms on which Morocco would like to come back,” he cautioned.

The heads of state failed to name a successor to Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to become the AU’s new commission chair.

None of the three candidates garnered the two-thirds majority necessary, and a new ballot will be held at the next AU summit, due in January 2017 in Addis Ababa.

The leaders did agree on financing the bloc through a 0.2 percent levy on imports, so as to reduce its dependence on donors, who currently contribute 73 percent of the $781 million (708 million euro) budget.

Rwanda’s Finance Minister Claver Gatete said this could bring in as much as $1.2 billion (1.1 billion euros).

Dlamini-Zuma welcomed the “historic landmark decision” as “an unprecedented leap forward for African self-reliance and dignity”.

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, hosting the summit, said the plan “puts responsibility and ownership in our hands”.

“We need to start doing things differently, and better,” he told delegates at the opening ceremony.

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After months of conflict and over 70 deaths – the latest being three people killed in gunfire and grenade blast on Saturday 28^th June, the elections are happening amidst international and local critism. Pie Ntavyohanyuma spoke to France 24 “For the moment, I am forced to stay in Brussels… I stayed here given the difficulties in my country, difficulties which are due to the illegal third mandate of the president,” He told the agency “I would like to say to him [Nkurunziza] that the mandate he wants to have is illegal. I would like to say to him that forcing through the election is senseless.” “I personally advised President Nkurunziza to drop his plan for a third term, but his answer was to threaten me, to humiliate me,” he added.

The African Union announced Sunday it would not act as an observer in the parliamentary polls, “Noting that the necessary conditions are not met for the organisation of free, fair, transparent and credible elections… the AU Commission will not observe the local and parliamentary elections,” commission chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said in a statement.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concerns about the Government’s insistence on going ahead with elections on 29 June despite the prevailing political and security environment in the country and he had previously called for the elections to be delayed. A statement issued on Sunday read “The Secretary-General reiterates his appeal to all Burundian political leaders to consider the wider interest of the people of their country and to resolve political issues through dialogue in order to preserve peace and strengthen national reconciliation. Condemning recent attacks reported in the country, he appeals to all Burundians to refrain from violent acts, in line with the Charter of Non-Violence agreed by all parties.”

As opposition declared a boycott of the elections, the election commission chief Pierre-Claver Ndayicariye told reporters “Everything is ready in the country,” Sunday, saying all voting material had been delivered to the polling centres across the country.

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Ban Ki Moon and President Museveni were speaking during a bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the UN High Level Thematic Debate on UN cooperation with Regional and Sub-Regional Organisations in the maintenance of global peace and security for development.

The two leaders also discussed Regional issues covering Burundi, Somalia, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo -DRC. The Secretary General thanked the President for sparing time to come and deliver the key note address.

Ban Ki Moon commended President Museveni and other regional leaders for their efforts that brought peace to Burundi leading to the democratic transition. He also thanked President Museveni for his efforts in stabilizing Somalia under AMISOM.

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The signing of an agreement aimed at bringing back peace in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo will take place in Addis Ababa on Sunday and it would attract observers from Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Congo Brazzaville, Tanzania, South Africa and Kenya.

Others to attend the signing ceremony include the United Nations (UN) Secretary General Hon. Ban Ki-moon and presidents from Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Angola, South Africa and Tanzania.

The agreement will lay out a security plan for the Democratic Republic of Congo which is expected to tighten the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

UN has over 19,000 garrisons in the Democratic Republic of Congo and it has been there for the last 12 years. However, despite its presence in Congo, over one million people have lost their lives and property in hands of the rebel groups and government forces fighting in Congo. Some of the rebel groups fighting the government of Joseph Kabila in Congo include M23, FNL, FDLR and ADF-NALU.

Ends

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Uganda President Yoweri Museveni and the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon are among the world leaders who have left Addis Ababa, Ethiopia after attending the 18th African Union summit.

Others who have left Ethiopiaare Benin’s President Thomas Boni Yayi, and Libyan interim Prime Minister Abderrahim el-Keib. Over 40 heads of states attended the summit.

The summit kicked off with the selection of Benin’s President  Thomas Boni Yayi as the African Union chairman for the year running.  The chief guests at the summit were from China and UN.

Beijing also donated $200-million to African Union headquarters. Giving remarks on the donation, Museveni thanked china for promoting mutual interests inAfrica.

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Ban told a high-level forum on women and democracy, held in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, that it was time for “faster and wider progress” in promoting the participation of women at all levels of society.

“When women are included, democracies thrive. And when women take their rightful leadership roles, all of society benefits,” he said in a message to the forum delivered by Margot Wallström, his Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Ban noted that although more and more women are taking their place in governments, fewer than 10 per cent of the world’s countries have a female head of State or government, and fewer than 30 countries have met the UN target of having women comprise at least 30 per cent of their lawmakers in national parliaments.

“We need to take specific steps to close this gender gap. Experience shows that the democratic ideals of inclusiveness, accountability and transparency are only achieved through laws, policies and special measures that address inequalities.”

The Secretary-General stressed that women’s participation should be supported at all times, and not just during legislative elections.

“Our work to ensure gender equality must start with girls getting the food, health care and education they deserve, equal to boys. It must continue through all stages of life. And it must cover all realms, from the world of business to the halls of government and beyond.”

He noted that the UN is working on several fronts to promote women in democracy-building activities, whether through the new agency UN Women or through individual projects financed by the UN Democracy Fund.
UN News

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In a closed-door meeting this morning at UN Headquarters in New York, the Council’s 15 members adopted by acclamation a resolution on extending Mr. Ban’s time in office.

The Council recommended that Mr. Ban serve a second term starting on 1 January 2012 and ending on 31 December 2016, Ambassador Nelson Messone of Gabon, which holds the Council’s rotating presidency this month, told journalists.

Under Article 97 of the UN Charter, the Security Council makes a recommendation and then the General Assembly makes a decision on the appointment. The consistent practice is that the Council recommends one candidate.

Earlier this month Mr. Ban, who has been in office since January 2007 and is the eighth UN Secretary-General, said he would be “deeply honoured” to serve a second term.

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Ban who was speaking today during a visit to Ethiopia said that while there has been remarkable progress in the fight against maternal mortality, more effort is still needed.

UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon

According to a news relase from the UN, Ban met with the staff providing essential services to communities previously living without ready access to such care at Ambo Mesk.

The UN boss said training good health workers and good midwives can save a lot of women’s and also children’s lives.

He said statistics show that every 25 minutes, another Ethiopian woman dies from complications related to child birth. Most are in rural areas, far from any clinic.

Ban also visited a larger health centre, a few kilometres away, which supports the health post by providing it with supplies and on-the-job training.

“I hope that the Government will try to expend these posts, clinics and centres and also hospitals,” the Secretary-General said

Ban commended Ethiopia on its commitment to improve maternal and child health, including its goal of quadrupling the number of midwives. “The country is a good example of how a little investment can go a long way in saving many lives,” he added.

At a major UN development summit in New York last September, participants adopted the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, committing $40 billion in resources to a global effort to save the lives of 16 million women and children by 2015.

The Strategy identifies the finance and policy changes needed, along with vital interventions to help improve health and save lives. It is expected to prevent, between 2011 and 2015, the deaths of more than 15 million children under five, as well as 33 million unwanted pregnancies and the deaths of 740,000 women from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth.

Ultimate Media

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Known as the Cancún agreements, nations after a two week meeting agreed a package of decisions to help countries advance towards a low-emissions future, delivering what the world body’s top officials have hailed as a victory in the battle against one of today’s biggest challenges.

UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon

Ki-mmon in a statement today said governments came together in common cause, for the common good, and agreed on a way forward to meet the defining challenge of our time- climate change

The decisions reached include formalizing mitigation pledges and ensuring increased accountability for them, as well as taking concrete action to protect the world’s forests, which account for nearly one-fifth of global carbon emissions.

Delegates meeting at the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) also agreed to ensure no gap between the first and second commitment periods of the Kyoto Protocol, an addition to the Convention that contains legally binding measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and whose first commitment period is due to expire in 2012.

Agreement was also reached on establishing a fund for long-term climate financing to support developing countries, and bolstering technology cooperation and enhancing vulnerable populations’ ability to adapt to the changing climate.

“The outcomes in Cancun have given us important tools. Now we must use them, and strengthen our efforts in line with the scientific imperative for action,” Ban Ki-moon says.

The next Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC is scheduled to be held in South Africa from 28 November to 9 December 2011.

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The Parliament of Uganda

Ban Ki-moon who arrived in Uganda on Sunday was speaking after participating in a commemorative football match that also included Uganda President, Yoweri Museveni, war victims and delegates from different countries in Kampala to attend the 12-day ICC review conference which opens on Monday 31^st May.

The UN Secretary General said that Uganda is one of the key supporters of the UN led International Criminal Court, which the East Africa country demonstrated by recently enacting an ICC law.

The Parliament of Uganda last week passed the ICC Bill. President Museveni assented to the bill a few days ago and the ICC law is now active in Uganda, allowing the ICC laws to be duly implemented in Uganda.

Ki-moon says this act is expected to serve as an inspiration to Africa countries- on a continent where most of the IC has received criticism for indicting some leaders, especially Sudan President, Omar El basher and Democratic Republic of Congo’s Jean-Pierre Bemba.

Three Ugandans, Lord’s Resistance Army leader, Joseph Kony, Dominic Ongwen and Raska Rukwiya are already indicted by the Hague based ICC.

The passing of the ICC law will now allow for Uganda to arrest anybody indicted by the ICC and allows Uganda to meet its obligations under the Rome Statute that established the ICC in 2010.

The ICC bill was presented by Fredrick Ruhindi, the Deputy Attorney General/Minister of State for Justice & Constitutional Affairs, debated and passed by the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee chaired by  Steven Tashobya, before being presented and passed by Uganda’s Parliament.

Ultimate Media

You can also see

Museveni and Ban Ki-moon call for end of impunity as ICC Review conference begins in Uganda 

President Museveni and UN’s Ban Ki-draw in ICC football match 

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