Pan-Africanism and the AU

[RWalker]

The African Union (AU) has tweaked their website significantly. Now when you visit it at http://www.africa-union.org/ you will first see fragments then the word AFRICA closely followed by the word MUST followed by .. yep you guessed it UNITE; and then the fragments come together to form the African Continent.

Cute. But the real test for the AU's fealty to Nkrumah's famous call remains a question of action however. Will the AU continue to cede what little sovereignty that Africa has managed to create to the EU; to the UNO (UN) ; to the G7/G8; to NATO; to the OECD; to the US? Take for example the situation involving the Chad - Sudan area particularly as related to the participation of the UN -- one would remind our august leaders that this UN is the same UN that facilitated the dismembering of the Congo, the genocide in the Congo and the brutal murder of the Congolese nationalist leadership, including the heroic Patrice Lumumba; that UN "peacekeepers" in Africa have been conspicuously involved in the sexual exploitation of African women and girls...the AU talks about maintaining the political lead in the Sudan question but how can this be so when the UN is under the dictatorial control of the Security Council, which in turn is under the domination of the US? Some would argue that the entrance of a UN force into the situation will defuse the call for an US-led NATO force... but will it? Or will it be nothing more than a NATO "beard," a front, cover, for the ends of the US - and its NATO allies...will the AU flesh out its "call" for Unity by assisting the capitalist in their oft stated goal and objective of strengthening their hold over Africa?

Likewise, the related issue of the control of African land...the AU is planning a meeting on the land question, a meeting entitled, "Land Policy in Africa: A Framework of Action to Secure Land Rights, Enhance Productivity and Secure Livelihoods" -- it is billed as a "CONSULTATIVE WORKSHOP," schedule for March 27-29. Again the UN, through its Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), is going to play a significant role in the matter. And of course NEPAD -- the AU vehicle for direct input from the G7 countries who are the NEPAD primary partners, and from the history of NEPAD, the powers that call the shots, is also expected to be a determining element. True to the AU's retrograde perspective on Pan-Africanism the subject will be approached strictly on a regional basis. Further their approach emphasizes "private" ownership...does this not mean that any private individual, which according to western legal structures, includes corporations, can acquire the land? And where does that leave the empoverished mass of African people who cannot, as things are presently configured, possibly compete with the big capital owned by the multinationals such as Anglo American, Lonrho, Halliburton and so forth...this is tantamount to imposing the neo-colonial model now being used in South Africa, which included the selling of the peoples' lands to foreign individuals and corporations. So colonialism stole the land and now neo-colonialism will consolidate the theft in defiance of the peoples' demand for the return of the land..

Now as we know the issue of land and the resources derived therefrom are essential elements of our struggle for a better quality of life. The immense amounts of valuable elements in Africa, the platinum group, uranium, chromium, cobalt, petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, gold, manganese and so forth This wealth of Africa is absolutely vital to the capitalist economies. A US Marine Corp. analysis put it this way:

"...the American defense industry is highly dependent on a number of strategic minerals whose source is largely from Africa. Among these strategic minerals whose source is largely from Africa. Among these strategic minerals the four most critical are chromium, cobalt, manganese and platinum. Each is considered critical because of the major role it plays in American defense, the lack of domestic supplies, the lack of adequate substitutes, and the lack of alternate foreign sources. This dependency has given the African states which supply these minerals a substantial potential for exerting economic and political leverage against the United States. However, this potential is unlikely to be exercised to any significant degree. Almost all of the major mineral producing nations of southern Africa have economies that are highly dependent on the revenues generated from these mineral sales. Although cartel actions to raise profits are possible, actions to disrupt the market and lead to lower overall sales would not be in their best interest."

(U.S. Reliance On Africa For Strategic Minerals
CSC 1984
SUBJECT AREA Strategic Issues
U.S. RELIANCE ON AFRICA FOR STRATEGIC MINERALS
Submitted to
Mr. Rudy Wiggins
In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements
for Written Communications
The Marine Corps Command and Staff College
Quantico, Virginia
Major R.A. Hagerman
United States Marine Corps
April 6, 1984)

One can imagine what would be the positive results if the AU were to pursue a true Pan-African policy. If the AU is not serious about retaking the land then in point of fact they are serious about anything except self-aggrandizement and the placation of their capitalist masters. This is no way for Africa to Unite, this is nothing more but the maintenance of the white power system that started centuries ago with the triangular slave trade and the subsequent colonization of Africa AFRICA MUST UNITE indeed.

*****
APPENDIX
Esssence of the AU documents on the Sudan situation and Land Question:

1.
Land Policy in Africa: A Framework of Action to Secure Land Rights, Enhance Productivity and Secure Livelihoods 
The importance of land in Africa is multifaceted, being at the heart of social, political and economic life of its people. Besides its economic attributes, land continues to have great social value – as a place of settlement, providing a location within which people live and to which they return. It also has symbolic and ritual associations, such as burial sites, sacred woodlands, and spiritual life. A significant number of studies and research work have demonstrated that land issues including land tenure has strong linkages to development goals such as: poverty reduction and economic growth; increasing agricultural productivity; promoting private sector investments especially through private ownership of assets such as land; attracting direct foreign investment; ensuring environmental sustainability; achieving social security and promoting gender equity with regards to access to land; reconciling conflicting claims to land; and strengthening institutional development.

Despite being central to peaceful development, economic growth and sustainable resource use, land issues have often not received the attention they deserve. Donor governments have been reluctant to get involved in land related programmes, in part because of the perceived political risks, and land issues are not receiving adequate attention in Poverty Reduction Strategy processes[1]. In addition, even though many African countries are addressing land issues, the scope as well as the policy dialogue supporting and facilitating the process has remained narrow.

African Union Commission, whose vision is to realize an integrated, peaceful and prosperous African, recognizes that better governance of land and natural resources is central to all hopes of peace, growth, poverty reduction, and development across the continent. In the same vein, land policy concerns are also integral and central to the development agenda of the United Nation’s Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank’s (ADB). In view of the importance of land to Africa’s social, political and economic development, AU/NEPAD, ECA and ADB have agreed to jointly work together to develop land policy framework and Guidelines and its modalities for implementation during the period 2006-2007. This Africa-led consortium will work in partnership with key stakeholders: Regional Economic Communities, Member States, civil society, private sector including farmers’ organizations, centres of excellence and development partners and serve to strengthen coherence of the respective agendas of land issues in Africa.

As a first step to the process, the consortium of AU/NEPAD, ADB and ECA has sought partnership with the International Land Coalition (ILC) to provide assistance and facilitation to the overall process, including developing an Issues Paper, which is to be reviewed by the AU/NEPAD, ECA and ADB. The Issues Paper establishes a base-line analysis of the land dialectic and the background against which the guidelines and framework can be shaped. The Paper among other things:

· Builds the case statement that will characterise the framework of land policy in Africa

;· Explores the threats, challenges and opportunities that face land policy and land reforms in Africa;

· Draw upon outcomes and recommendations from undertakings on land issues in Africa (e.g. The Conference on Land in Africa: Market asset or secure livelihood?, UNDP-DDC Land Policy Workshop, among many others); as well as takes stock of existing knowledge, lessons learnt and on going initiatives on land issues in Africa;

· Defines a set of principles and values within which equitable and efficient national land policies and policy reforms could be framed; and·

Outlines elements and thematic issues that the consultative workshop will centre its discussions and give insightful opinions and reactions. The outcome will enable to move the process forward in a participatory and inclusive manner.

II. Critical Path in developing Africa’s Land Policy Framework and Guidelines

In order to build consensus among key players in Africa on the vision of a successful land policy/land reform and to develop and agree on a comprehensive framework and Guidelines for the formulation and implementation of land policy, it is important to have a clear understanding of the context and the critical path that describes important decision making points. The overall process is envisaged to take 16 months, starting from March 2006 to July 2007. Within the process, critical steps have been sketched out as necessary and mutually reinforcing settings to derive critical elements of the framework and drive the process of developing Africa’s Land Policy Framework and Guidelines. They are as follows:



Phase 1: Consultative Workshop

Based on the Issues Paper prepared with the assistance from the International Land Coalition, the Consultative Workshop will be organized from 27 to 29 March 2006 to:

· Discuss and agree on elements and thematic issues that would characterise the framework and Guidelines of land policy and land reform in Africa;

· Define the process that will facilitate the development of the framework and Guidelines and its implementation;·

Prepare a plan that will elucidate the sequence of actions and activities which will lead to the realization of the intended elements of the Framework and Guidelines;

· Define the roles, responsibilities and expected contributions (financial and /or technical support) from the various institutions and key players/stakeholders involved in the process of developing the framework of action and its implementation.

The Workshop will bring together representatives (at regional level) from African Governments, Regional Economic Communities, Civil Society, farmers organizations, centres of excellence, the private sector and development partners with the view to reaching a consensus on the outputs and elements that will characterize the land policy framework and its implementation as well as outline a sequence of activities which are vital to the realization and implementation of the Framework and Guidelines.

Phase II: Regional Assessments And Consultations

This phase builds on elements of outputs from the Phase I and aims to:

1. Highlight the regional diverse elements into the context of land policy framework, which:·

Add impetus to the continental vision of land policy in Africa as well as principles and values that respond to equity, efficiency and sustainability concerns in land policy in the regions;·

Describe major challenges/constraints and opportunities that face land policy and land reforms specific to the region; its diversity of challenges/opportunities and factors driving this diversity;·

Describe examples of best practices that can serve as models for developing equitable and fair national land policies and legislation in the regions;·

Account missing links and any gaps in the knowledge requiring further research or studies and capacity building.

2. Involve the participation of key players in the regions through the consultative Workshops in order to build consensus and validation in the political process of formulating and implementing national land policies and legislation.

Expected outcome from Phase II include:
From Regional Assessments: Assessment Reports that provide:

Brief typology of land issues in each region that characterizes and identifies the diversity of situations as well as raise challenges and gaps where more research, capacity building and lesson sharing maybe required;
Stock of work already done or underway/planned by different partner institutions.

From Regional Consultations:
Report of the Regional Consultative workshop (which builds on the Issues Paper and regional assessment reports) that outlines the consensus among key players in the region and agrees on elements and thematic issues in the region that would be included in the overall framework and Guidelines of land policy and land reform in Africa.
A draft Framework and Guidelines of land policy in Africa.

Phase III: Experts And Ministers’ Meeting

The Draft Framework and Guidelines for the formulation and implementation of land policy and land reform in Africa will be subjected to the AU validation process:
1) Experts from 53 Member States will discuss the Draft Framework and Guidelines; and make recommendations before adopting the framework and guidelines.

Experts’ Meeting Expected Output:
Experts’ Report with specific recommendations on the Framework and Guidelines.

2) Ministers’ Meeting will examine and review the Experts’ Report and their Recommendations on the Framework and Guidelines before adoption.

Ministers’ Meeting Expected Output:
Ministers’ Report with specific recommendations on the Framework and Guidelines.

3) Assembly of Heads of State and Government will examine the Report after it passes through this process:

The Commissioner of Rural Economy and Agriculture will present the Ministers’ Report on Framework and Guidelines of land policy in Africa to the Permanent Representative Council (PRC).

The Report and recommendations of the PRC will be reviewed and discussed by the Executive Council of the Assembly and make recommendations and decisions.

The Heads of State and Government will discuss the report and Decisions of the Executive Council before its adoption.

Assembly of Heads of State and Government Expected Outcome

Decisions or Declaration on the Framework and Guidelines on Land policy and Land Reform in Africa and its implementation.

4) Follow up Actions/activities by the Consortium (AU/NEPAD-ECA-ADB) key stakeholder (RECs, Member States) and internal and external partners. Tentative calendar of activities is outlined in Annex 1.

Annex 1 AU/NEPAD – ECA – ADB – Consortium on Land Policy in Africa: A Framework of Action to Secure Land Rights Enhance Productivity and Secure LivelihoodsCritical Path: Calendar of Activities Objective: Develop and implement the Framework/Guidelines on Land Policy Expected Outcome: Framework and Guidelines


2.
PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL
46TH MEETING
10 MARCH 2006
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
PSC/MIN/Comm.(XLVI)
COMMUNIQUÉ

COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE 46TH MEETING OF THE
The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 46th
meeting, held on 10 March 2006, adopted the following decision on the situation in
Darfur,
Council,
1. Takes note of the Report of the Chairperson pursuant to paragraph 5 of the PSC
Communiqué PSC/PR/Comm.(XLV) of 12 January 2006 on the situation in
Darfur[PSC/MIN/2(XLVI)];
2. Decides to support in principle the transition from AMIS to a UN Operation,
within the framework of the partnership between AU and the United Nations in the
promotion of peace, security and stability in Africa;
3. Decides to extend the mandate of AMIS until 30 September 2006 to undertake
the following:
• contribute to the improvement of the general security situation, provide a
secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the
return of IDP and refugees, and contribute to the protection of the civilian
population in Darfur,
• monitor and observe the compliance of the parties with the N’djamena
Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement of 8 April 2004 and the Abuja
Protocols of 9 November 2004 and all such agreements in the future, and
• assist in the process of confidence building;
4. Decides that, during the period mentioned above, every effort should be made to
(a) ensure the early conclusion of a peace agreement at the ongoing 7th Round of the
Inter-Sudanese Peace Talks that opened in Abuja since 29 November 2005, (b)
improve the security, humanitarian and human rights situation on the ground, and (c)
address the crisis in the relations between Chad and Sudan:
a) In order to achieve the conclusion of a peace agreement at the Abuja Peace
Talks, Council:
i) Demands that the parties demonstrate their commitment to bring the
conflict in Darfur to an end by making rapid progress on the outstanding
issues at the Talks, as they relate to power sharing, wealth sharing and
security arrangements,
ii) Urges the facilitators and the observers at the Abuja Peace Talks to lend
a closer cooperation to the AU Mediation Team and to intensify their efforts to persuade the Sudanese parties to make compromise on the
outstanding issues,
iii) Stresses the need for increased engagement at the highest level by
African leaders and other stakeholders, to bring the parties to honour their
commitments and negotiate in good faith with a view to ending violence in
Darfur and concluding a peace agreement by the end of April 2006,
b) In order to improve the security, humanitarian and human rights situation,
Council:
i) Requests the Commission to immediately take all necessary steps for the
consistent, flexible, broad and robust interpretation of the mandate
provided for in paragraph 3 above and the tasks deriving thereof as spelt
out in Communiqué PSC/PR/Comm.(XVII) adopted at its 17th meeting held
on 20 October 2004 and in light of the Conclusions [MSC/EXP/Con.(III)] of
the 3rd meeting of the Military Staff Committee (MSC) held on 25 April
2005 as endorsed by the 28th meeting of the PSC held on 28 April 2005
[PSC/PR/Comm.(XXVIII)], in order to ensure a more forceful protection of
the civilian population,
ii) Further requests the Commission to vigorously pursue its efforts towards
reaching, as quickly as possible, the authorized strength of AMIS i.e.
6,171 military personnel, with an appropriate civilian component, including
up to 1,560 police personnel,
iii) Also requests the Commission to take all necessary steps for the full
implementation of the recommendations made by the AU-led Assessment
Mission that visited Darfur from 10 to 20 December 2005, in order to
enhance the capacity of AMIS in the short and medium terms, in particular
with respect to operational and tactical planning, command and control,
protection of civilians, joint operations management, training, use of
personnel and civil military coordination,
iv) Demands that the parties cease all acts of violence and atrocities on the
ground, particularly those committed against the civilian population,
humanitarian workers and agencies and AMIS personnel, and to fully
comply with their commitments under the N’djamena Humanitarian
Ceasefire Agreement of 8 April 2004 and the Abuja Protocols on
Humanitarian and Security Issues of 9 November 2004, as well as with the
decisions of the Joint Commission and relevant resolutions and decisions
of the United Nations Security Council and the PSC. In particular, Council,
once again, demands that:
• the Government of the Sudan refrains from conducting hostile
military flights in and over the Darfur region, expeditiously
implement its stated commitment to neutralize and disarm the
Janjaweed/armed militias, and identify and declare those militias over whom it has influence and ensure that these militias refrain
from all attacks, harassment and intimidation,
• the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation
Movement/Army (SLM/A) provide AMIS with the required
information to enable it determine clearly the sites occupied by the
forces on the ground, ensure the security of commercial activities in
the areas occupied by their forces and, regarding specifically the
SLM/A, withdraw its forces from contentious areas such as Graida,
v) Urges the parties to cooperate fully with AMIS and to do all in their power
to guarantee the safety of the members of the Mission to enable it to
effectively discharge its mandate and guarantee AMIS and the
humanitarian agencies unrestricted access,
vi) Urges the parties, pending the conclusion of a peace agreement, to
contain the ever-deteriorating security situation on the ground by agreeing
to the enhanced Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement proposed to them by
the AU-led Mediation Team, which, among others, provides for the
strengthening of the mandates of the existing Ceasefire and Joint
Commissions,
vii) In the interim, authorizes the AU Commission to convene an emergency
Joint Commission meeting in Addis Ababa, to be chaired by the Special
Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission to the Sudan, to
further deliberate on the precarious security situation and take the
necessary and appropriate measures against any party that is found
responsible for the escalation of violence and tension in Darfur,
viii) Appeals to the international community to continue to provide
humanitarian assistance to the affected population in Darfur, as well as to
the refugees and host communities in Chad,
ix) Urges the Government of the Sudan and the rebel movements, to
cooperate with the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal
Court (ICC) as called for by UN Security Council Resolution 1593 (2005)
of 31 March 2005 and to take all necessary steps to combat impunity to
ensure lasting peace and reconciliation in Darfur, and requests the
Commission to cooperate with the ICC,
c) In order to effectively address the crisis in the relations between Chad and
Sudan, Council:
i) Urges the Government of Chad and Sudan to fully implement the
commitments made and to facilitate the work of the existing
mechanisms that have been agreed upon in the Declaration and
Agreement signed in Tripoli in February 2006. Council endorses the
Tripoli Declaration and the Agreement,
the Facilitators of the Tripoli Agreement to remain actively
engaged in the efforts to defuse the tension on the ground and
normalize the relations between Chad and the Sudan and ensure the
effective functioning of the existing mechanisms agreed upon in the
Tripoli Declaration and Agreement,
iii) Further requests the Commission to take all necessary steps and
extend all necessary assistance to contribute to the implementation of
the Tripoli Declaration and Agreement. Council also requests the
Commission to prepare and submit proposals on how best AMIS can
assist in the implementation of the Tripoli Declaration and Agreement,
including the necessary adjustment to its current mandate;
5. Reiterates that, given the progress made in the initial stabilization phase of
Darfur and the ongoing efforts to conclude a peace agreement, steps should be taken to
sustain the peace support operation in Darfur in 2006 and beyond, bearing in mind the
requirements for an increased integration of the different aspects of the peace efforts.
In this respect, Council welcomes the adoption by the Security Council, on 3 February
2006, of Presidential Statement S/PRST/2006/5 commending the efforts of the AU and
requesting the Secretary-General to initiate contingency planning without delay, in close
and continuing consultation with the Security Council, and in cooperation and close
consultation with the parties to the Abuja Peace Talks, including the Government of
National Unity, on a range of options for a possible transition from AMIS to a UN
operation. Council takes note of the announcement by the Sudanese Government that
Sudan is prepared to accept the deployment of a UN operation in Darfur after and as
part of the conclusion of a peace agreement at the Abuja Talks. Consequently, Council
requests the Chairperson of the Commission to continue his consultations with the
United Nations, the Government of Sudan and other stakeholders on the modalities of
the transition. Council further requests the Chairperson of the Commission to work
closely with the United Nations Secretary-General on joint planning towards that end;
6. Stresses that the transition from AMIS to a UN operation in Darfur should be
informed by the following:
• The preparedness of the Government the Sudan to accept the deployment
of a UN operation in Darfur,
• That the decision on the mandate and size of any future UN peacekeeping
operation in Darfur is informed by the evolving situation on the ground. In
this respect, a successful outcome of the Abuja Peace Talks and a
significant improvement in the security and humanitarian situation on the
ground will be key factors in any decision by the UN Security Council on
the nature of the peacekeeping operation in Darfur,
• That the African character of the mission, including through its
composition and leadership, is maintained in order, as much as possible,
to secure the cooperation of all the parties, which is necessary to achieve
a lasting solution to the conflict in Darfur,• That the lead role of the African Union in the overall Darfur peace process
is maintained, including the conduct of the Abuja Peace Talks and the
Darfur-Darfur dialogue and consultation provided for by the Declaration of
Principles (DoP) signed in Abuja on 5 July 2005, as well as in the
implementation of existing and future agreements between the parties,
• That, during and after the transition, consultations are maintained between
the AU and UN, including between the PSC and the UN Security Council,
as well as between the Chairperson of the Commission and the Secretary-
General of the United Nations, particularly prior to any decision by the UN
Security Council regarding the envisaged UN peacekeeping operation in
Darfur;
7. Recommends the establishment of a Committee of Heads of States and
Government, including the Current Chairman of the AU, the immediate past
Chairman, the Chairperson of the PSC, and the Chairperson of the Commission, as well
as any other Head of State and Government the Current Chairman of the AU may wish
to involve, to engage the Sudanese authorities and other stakeholders on how best to
expedite the peace process in Darfur and on the transition;
8. Reiterates its appeal to the AU partners to provide all the necessary financial
and logistical support to sustain AMIS until 30 September 2006, as well as support the
ongoing Abuja Talks. In this respect, Council welcomes the envisaged convening of a
pledging conference in Brussels, with the support of the United Nations and the
European Union;
9. Calls for an immediate end to all acts aimed at inciting demonstrations against
the international community, in particular the United Nations, as well as to the
unacceptable and defamatory characterization of AMIS;
10. Emphasizes the critical role of the United Nations Security Council in holding
accountable those impeding the peace process and committing human rights violations;
11. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.