Zimbabwe at the African Union

The PAP also condemned remarks by President Mugabe that the country would go to war if the opposition won the run-off. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also sent a 30-member team of observers, led by former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, to Harare to monitor the presidential run-off election. In a letter addressed to African leaders, including the President of the AU Commission, civil society expressed their concern that the Zimbabwean opposition might not be able to participate in the run-off because of the widespread political violence inflicted on their supporters. The letter commended the efforts of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in its effort to resolve the Zimbabwe crisis and gave a number of recommendations to be initiated by the regional and international communities to resolve the crisis. SADC leaders convened in an emergency meeting to consider the situation in Zimbabwe, which President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa failed to attend despite his position as chief mediator for SADC, in which they urged President Robert Mugabe to call off the run-off election and begin dialogue towards the formation of a coalition government with the opposition MDC. However, despite MDC’s decision to boycott the run-off election, the elections took place as scheduled and the incumbent President Mugabe was declared the winner. The African Union (AU) election observer team in Zimbabwe declared that the presidential run-off fell short of continental standards, citing violence and biased media coverage. Further, the Pan African Parliament rejected the outcome of the election calling for a re-run despite the endorsement of the results by President Mbeki, said to have recognized the legitimacy of President Mugabe’s re-election in order to sustain the negotiation process. Noting that deepening social and economic interdependence means “that Zimbabwe’s problems are regional and truly African”, there are growing calls for African leaders to set democratic standards, particularly, in order to “make the AU more relevant, Africans must set minimum requirements of democracy and good economic governance for membership.”

Still in peace and security news, the AU Commission strongly condemned attacks by rebel groups against the Chadian army saying that these contradicted the process of dialogue and hindered the promotion of peace and stability in the region.

Civil society meeting during the Food and Agricultural Organisation regional conference in Nairobi blamed the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organisation for not doing enough to avoid the current food crisis in Africa and called for a long-term strategy involving local experience and policy direction to tackle the situation. Further, during a conference of Maghreb farmers and union representatives on grain production and food security, participants encouraged states to allocate more funds for the Maghreb Farmers Union and recommended ‘forming a fund to finance local scientific research and promoting agricultural development by pooling resources and trading expertise’. Meanwhile, the African Development Bank (AfDB) will organise a two-day conference on revitalization of African agriculture in the face of the global food crisis. The conference will re-examine the challenges and opportunities of African agriculture and explore avenues for strengthening food security. The AfDB, together with the World Bank, also organised, in Cape Town, a capacity building workshop in which World Bank representatives acknowledged the importance of regional integration for development and the creation of new regional public goods. For its part, Russia has promised a 500 million-dollar development assistance package to the continent.

The SADC Free Trade Area will be launched in August this year. This economic integration with an enlarged market of more than 200 million people is expected to increase the region’s competitive advantage, trade performance and to attract more foreign direct investment. In East Africa, a report of the air transport sub committee called for a harmonisation of air travel in the region and the establishment of competition rules to reduce the costs of air travel within East Africa.

Finally, a conference of ministers of health attended a one-day session on research for health in Africa. The World Health Organisation Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Luis Sambo, described the conference as a ‘’historic meeting’’ and said that it offered an opportunity for Africa to speak with one voice at the Second Global Ministerial Forum on Health Research, to take place in November 2008 in Bamako, Mali.