AU Summit preliminary stage gets underway

scarred Africa during 2011.
“We had a very difficult year. Ship Africa has been in the storm at sea,” AU Commission chairperson Jean Ping, said in his speech, which reflected on the Union’s interventions during the Arab Spring.
The AU chief said the actions taken by the body were in “defence of the spirit of democratisation, which included strong condemnations of the violent responses to initially peaceful demonstrations in Libya.
“The AU supported the movements up to the end. We contributed to the attainment and the consolidation of democratisation in Egypt and Tunisia.”
The AU Summit is gearing for widespread debate on the place of the continental body in dealing with crises such as the Arab Spring.
Ping said while the revolt in Libya initially started off as a peaceful demonstration, the “harsh” response it drew from the former Libyan administration attracted strong condemnations from the AU organs.
He said the AU peace roadmap to deal with the Libyan revolt remained relevant although it was largely ignored. In its roadmap, the AU insisted on the validity of the protesters’ demands and called for elections to end the crisis. The continental body paid tribute to heads of state, personalities and senior members of the AU Commission who lost their lives during the last six months and those “who fell during the Arab Spring”.
In his appraisal of the state of peace and security in Africa, Ping said there were positive developments in Cote d’Ivoire, where a post-election conflict was ended, insisting that the organisation “left no stone unturned.”
South Sudan, Africa’s 54 official member, sent a delegation for the first time to attend the PRC, comprising ambassadors.
Ping also briefed the PRC on his recent visit to Libya and North Africa, to “convey the message that the AU is ready to contribute to the normalisation of relations between the North African neigbours”. Libya’s new leaders and the recently elected Tunisian president are expected to attend the AU Summit slated for January 29-30. – Pana.