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The 20 AU Summit the Return of a Non-Confrontational Volume 23 January 2013 th The 20 AU Summit The return of a non-confrontational IN THIS ISSUE and consensus-seeking politics THEMBANI MBADLANYANA A gift of sight 3 rom 21st until the 28th of January 2013, the African Union (AU) held its 20th Gender 3 Summit in Addis Ababa Funder the theme, ‘Pan-Africanism and the African Renaissance’. As pointed out in Monday, 28 Inequality in SA 4 January’s Turkish Weekly, the theme of the summit was inter- preted by many as a call for Ten years of NEPAD 4 greater integration among mem- ber states and a celebration of the continent’s rapid economic growth. Zim elections 5 In opening the ceremony, the new AU Commission’s Chair Woman, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini- Zuma underscored the continent’s AISA donates books 5 ability to maintain peace as a pre- requisite for desirable continental futures. She pointed out that, AISA in top five 6 ‘optimistic as we are, we are mindful of the enormous chal- lenges that remain. We cannot overemphasise the Floods 6 need for peace and security. With- CONSENSUS… The AU Commission Chairperson, Dr Nkosazana-Dlamini Zuma cheers on as Dr Boni Yayi hands out peace and security, no country over the symbols of the flag to new AU Chairperson Mr Hailemariam Desalegn. or region can expect to achieve PICTURE: ASNATH SEBATI prosperity for all its citizens’. 2012 elections 7 In what was seen as a ‘historic -free election’ of Ethiopia's Prime Studies, said, "She has hit the followed and diversions were departure’ from previous tense Minister H.E Hailemariam De- ground running". Cilliers also avoided. and less-productive AU summits , salegn as the continental body's praised her for introducing a As expected, peace and security Africa in colour film 8 the 2013 Summit, Dr. Dlamini- symbolic head. Dr Dlamini- Zuma "business-like" approach to the issues featured prominently in the Zuma’s first summit at the helm of was also credited by many for operations of the continental Summit deliberations. In officially the non-majoritarian continental bringing substance and form to body. Cilliers’ observation was opening the summit Dr Dlamini- institution, marked what accord- the operations of the AU. In com- confirmed by the Daily Maverick, Zuma said the summit would AFCON 2013 9 ing to Simon Allison was a return menting on the performance of which reported that Dr. Dlamini- mainly focus on conflict resolution to non-confrontational and con- the new chair woman before and Zuma’s influence was felt in the particularly focusing on situations sensus seeking politics of the AU. during the summit, Jakkie Cilliers, way that speeches were kept This was evidenced by the ‘trouble head of the Institute for Security short, the schedule was roughly Continued on Page 2 Issued by the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) January 2013 Volume 23 From Page 1 Editorial th he year 2013 started on The 20 AU Summit... a high note amid the conflicts in various parts of Africa. The in Mali, Somalia, DRC, Central the summit was the donors con- tance’. by African Leaders in their re- Tmonth of January was marked African Republic, Darfur, Como- ference and the decision by the Notwithstanding Dr. Dlamini- spective countries and at the with a number of events that ros, Sudan/South Sudan, Mada- African heads of state to con- Zuma’s excellent performance continental level continue to included the inauguration of the th gascar, Western Sahara and the sider a proposal by the AU Peace and the summit’s commendable resemble a complete disjuncture Ghanaian president, the 20 AU Sahel region. However, the Mali and Security Council to approve success, few opportunities were between substance and form; Summit as well as the Africa Cup crisis found its place at the top an increase in the number of missed by the summit. The Sum- between words and actions? of Nations (AFCON) in South of the summit agenda and con- troops and assistance from the mit missed an opportunity to When it comes to national and Africa. flicts in DRC and Sudan/South United Nations (UN). The UN bring to conclusion the DRC continental imperatives, will our In this issue we covered exten- Sudan were left for sideline sum- Security Council (UNSC) Resolu- peace deal. According to media African leaders continue to ig- sively, the recent AU Summit mit discussions between diplo- tion 2085, adopted unanimously reports, a signing ceremony was nore issues that matter and in- which is said to have raised mats and heads of state. Accord- on 20 December 2012, author- called off just 30 minutes before tentionally or unintentionally many pertinent issues in an attempt to find solutions for ing to several media reports, the ized the deployment of the Afri- it was due to take place. UN throw dust in our eyes? For how challenges facing Africa. These AU ignored calls for the inclusion can-led Interna- Secretary General long are Africans going to help- included the funds to curb the of Zimbabwe on the summit tional Support Mis- “through the Do- told reporters in lessly watch while their leaders war situation in Mali. We see agenda. sion to Mali nors Conference, Addis Ababa that at home and in the AU continue the newly elected Chairperson In what was viewed as a return (AFISMA). Accord- ‘there had been a to indulge in technicist sophistry, of the AU Commission, Dr Nko- of pragmatic African multilater- ing to UN’s Secre- the AU managed delay because of tiptoeing nimbly around the real sazana Dlamini-Zuma attending alism, African leaders had tary General, Mr. "procedural is- issues affecting Africans? the AU Summit for the first time lengthy discussions on the best Ban Ki Moon, the to raise over 453 sues." According While we are yet to find an- in her position as the Chair. possible ways of moving away resolution ‘aimed to Cilliers some swers to some of the questions Hopefully her wisdom will reign from rhetoric to something pro- at the full restora- million USD southern African raised above, we have to realise in this male dominated conti- found- the realisation of the tion of Mali’s con- countries, particu- that the enormity of the prob- nental body. ‘African solutions to African stitutional order aimed at bridging larly South Africa, lems facing the AU demands that The AU Summit seems to have problems’ mantra. They pon- and territorial in- the funding gap had objected to African leaders look beyond revealed that African head of dered deeply on the strategies of tegrity’. The UNSC the signing of the their national interests in order states are slowly enjoying con- ensuring that, in the near future, Resolution 2085 to expedite the UN-mediated deal to bring back sanity to the conti- sensus-seeking politics as op- the continent does not have to also made provi- on procedural nental public discourse. Prob- posed to being confrontational. rely on outside forces to counter sions for the Secre- deployment of grounds. African lems in places like Mali, Somalia Health matters are also among rebellions. The AU’s outgoing tary General to leaders in the and DRC need African leaders to the stories dealt with in this chairperson, Benin’s President establish a Trust AFISMA.” Summit also reflect on their ‘geography of issue. We covered a touching Boni Yayi, extended the AU’s Fund through missed an oppor- reasoning’, to shift their para- story of a young Zambian girl gratitude to France for its timely which member tunity to reflect digms and to realign their cur- who almost gone blind due to and decisive military interven- states can provide earmarked critically on the evolving African rents of thought with the reali- lack of proper healthcare. Fortu- tion in Mali, which became nec- and/or non earmarked financial Peace and Security Architecture ties of a changing Africa in a nately, ORBIS International essary due to the “extremely support to AFISMA. (APSA). One component of APSA globalising world. They point to came to her rescue after staying protracted time” it had taken To that end, at the end of the is the operationalisation of the an obvious need of rethinking in the dark for three years. Africa to respond. summit, the new AU Chair, the African Standby Force (ASF) for and reconfiguring the continen- Our Opinion and Analysis Our South African President Ethiopian Prime Minister chaired rapid troop deployment in con- tal political discourse. They high- section deals extensively with H.E Jacob Zuma was equally busy the Donors Conference on 29 flict situations. The 2010 dead- light the need for mature and the issue of inequality in South line for ASF has passed but it has Africa. We also did a retrospec- at the summit. He chaired a January 2013. According to the candid discussions and strategic tion of the New Partnership for meeting on the sidelines of the AU’s Communiqué, through the not been operational. The situa- conversations about the future Africa’s Development (NEPAD). summit between Sudan’s Presi- Donors Conference, the AU man- tion in Mali exposed the short- of the continent. And it is in Here we looked at the successes dent Omar al-Bashir and South aged to raise over 453 million coming of APSA and there was a those strategic conversations of and failures of this continental Sudanese President Salva Kiir to USD aimed at bridging the fund- need to reflect on the progress our African leaders that we can body since its inception in 2002. try to resolve their intermittent ing gap to expedite the deploy- and the way forward.
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