The Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) met between June 24-25 in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, ahead of the Executive Council (EC) that was to take major decisions ‘to breath fresh life into several organs of the continental body, and remove doubts over its efficiency’. According to the PRC Chairman, Tanzanian Ambassador Mohamed Maundi, the PRC meeting accepted 19 recommendations on the Audit reported, rejected 22 recommendations and referred 52 of them to the AU Commission. The President of the AU Commission, Jean Ping, expressing himself at the opening of the Assembly of heads of state and government, outlined major reforms he intends to undertake to improve his institution. He mentioned the importance of taking into consideration the recommendations suggested in the AU Audit report and giving priority to the values of competence, experience, efficiency and justice, as well as devotion to the AU.

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) presented their report on the security situation in Africa to the Assembly. Within the report were mixed findings on the progress of peace and security on the continent: countries like Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Central African Republic and Comoros showing improvements and, yet, new tensions arising in countries such Sudan, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with ‘persistent deadlock’ being recorded between Ethiopia and Eritrea. ‘On Kenya, the report said the post-election crisis in the country was overcome with the signing, on 28 February, of the national accord and the reconciliation law.’

The Eleventh summit of the heads of state and government was overshadowed by the presence of the Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe recently sworn in after a one man presidential run-off election. The chairperson of the AU, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, appealed to the international community to work with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the search for a solution to the crisis in Zimbabwe. The UN Deputy Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro also echoed his sentiment by urging the leaders to seek a negotiated solution. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch called for African leaders to impose sanctions against Mugabe and refuse to recognise his legitimacy while the United States urged the AU to denounce President Robert Mugabe’s inauguration. The US also strongly condemn ‘the actions of the Mugabe regime, which continues to reject the will of the Zimbabwean people, abuse their human rights, and deny them humanitarian assistance’. Stronger calls to intervene in the Zimbabwe situation came from two legal opinions commissioned by the Southern African Litigation Centre, based in Johannesburg. The opinions declared the run-off election unconstitutional. While ‘a case can be made for an AU intervention under the “Declaration on the Framework for an OAU Response to Unconstitutional Changes of Government,” signed in Lomé, Togo in 2000 and endorsed by the Zimbabwe Government’, ‘the role of SADC leaders will be paramount in supporting an AU intervention’. However, the 15-member PSC failed to reach a decision and referred the ‘thorny issue of how to deal with Mugabe’ to the Assembly of heads of state and government.

African leaders were divided on Zimbabwe and refrained from criticising Mugabe outrightly. Nevertheless, some leaders openly criticised Mugabe, such as Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, and Vice President Mompati Merafhe of Botswana who said that allowing him to participate in the AU summit gave "unqualified legitimacy to a process which cannot be considered legitimate." Others such as South African President Thabo Mbeki opted for continued dialogue. The AU eventually reached a compromise decision calling on Zimbabwe’s political parties to initiate a dialogue aimed at establishing a government of national unity. Suggesting the Kenyan model to solve the electoral crisis of Zimbabwe, the AU Chairperson and president of Tanzanian led others in praising the Kenyan President and Prime Minister for having put the country’s welfare before their personal interests in forming a coalition government. Leaders also expressed ‘caution that conflicts arising from disputed elections were on the rise and a mechanism for reducing or avoiding such incidents should be developed at the continental level’.

In other news from the summit, the Senegal’s senior Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, a key advocate of the Union Government said some fifteen AU member states or so that are ready for the establishment of a Union Government should be allowed to go ahead stating that the failure to act now would hinder Africa’s unity. Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade echoed his minister saying that ‘the African federal government will be set up next January by those countries that are ready to do so’. His announcement followed a compromise by the heads of state and government who directed the chairman of the AU Commission, Jean Ping, to draw up a report on the road map and mechanism for the establishment of a continental government. Ping is expected to present his report during the January 2009 summit.

Side meetings of the summit also included the African Peer Review Mechanism, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee and the Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS, among others. Finally, AU leaders paid tribute to the late Aimé Césaire, a poet and humanist from Martinique, who died on 17 April last at the age of 94.