African Union leaders refuse to extradite Sudan’s president, denounce international court

By ALFRED de MONTESQUIOU , Associated Press
SIRTE, Libya – After bitter wrangling, Africa’s leaders agreed Friday to denounce the International Criminal Court and refuse to extradite Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, who has been indicted for crimes against humanity in Darfur.

AU chief in DRC to end army, rebel clashes

African Union chief Jean Ping met Saturday in Kinshasa with officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo to try and bring an end to fighting in the country’s east between the army and rebel forces.

AU fears donors will cut African aid

Jakaya Kikwete, the Chairman of the African Union (AU) and President of Tanzania, today told the press in Antananarivo that the AU fears international donors may cut aid to Africa as the global financial crisis deepens. Experiences from earlier crises show his concerns are well founded.

How to negotiate lasting peace in Darfur?

The Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA), signed in 2006, has been a failure from the outset. It was backed by the Sudanese government and only one rebel faction in Darfur. Instead of bringing peace, the agreement had caused more fighting among the rebels and between the Sudanese government forces and rebel groups. What’s more, the rebel faction that signed the DPA immediately initiated combined military action with the government’s forces against the non-signatory rebel groups.