As the parties to the conflict in Darfur meet in Libya for peace talks, the Peace and Security Council of the African Union issues a communiqué on the implementation process of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed between the Government of the Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army. The communiqué encourages the African Union Ministerial Committee on the Post-Conflict Reconstruction of the Sudan to intensify its efforts by, without delay, visiting the Sudan, issue recommendations on how African Union member States could contribute more significantly to the post-conflict reconstruction and to convene a conference on African involvement in the reconstruction. The communiqué also requests the Commission to appoint a new Special Envoy and to open an African Union Liaison Office in Khartoum, with an office in Juba.

Also in peace and security news, experts have suggested that ECOWAS amend existing instruments for promoting peace and security in West Africa so that they address the realities of the region. Further in regional news, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is developing a food reserve facility to address the food emergencies of the region. Further in SADC news, Munetsi Madakufamba writes about the SADC Free Trade Area (FTA) which is to be launched next year with the hope of removing barriers on all intra-regional trade. The target is to ensure that 85 percent of most intraregional trade is at zero tariffs by 2008. The programme aims to create the FTA in 2008, a customs union by 2010, a common market by 2015 and a Monetary Union by 2018. The author highlights the impetus and challenges of the programme including multiple membership of some States to Regional Economic Communities that are working towards creating, or already have, customs unions.

Moreover in financial news, the African Development Bank (AfDB) approved a US $25 million equity investment to create a fund to develop local currency products. This Currency Exchange (TCX) will be established with a transaction capacity of US $ 1.2 billion. According to the Bank, they will be able to use it as a funding alternative to finance its projects in local currencies and will provide local entrepreneurs with funding in local currency, thereby eliminating the currency mismatches that are typically created between local-currency revenues and foreign-currency liabilities.

In civil society news, the Solidarity for African Women’s Rights, together with the Coalition on Violence Against Women, Kenya, organized a public forum in Nairobi titled “Politically and Powerfully Participating in Elections: Women’s Strategies for change in Kenya, South Africa and Liberia”. Faith Kasiva, the Coordinator for the Coalition of Violence Against Women (COVAW), noted that this public forum comes at an opportune time in Kenya as the elections near and in the wake of a defeated constitutional amendment bill that proposed 50 special seats for women in parliament. Kenya has also not ratified the protocol to the African charter of Human and people’s rights on the rights of women. Commenting on the South African experience, Delphine Serumaga noted that the increased participation by women in decision-making during apartheid forced the government to take the decision on proportional representation. It was observed that women in South Africa are more aware of their rights partly because of the struggle against apartheid where women played an equal role as men. Sharing the Liberia experience, Una Thompson noted that the role of women in the election of the 1st female president in Africa began during the turbulence of the war. Despite the strong party alliances in Liberia, there was national solidarity and more specifically women solidarity and responsibility with an increased percentage of women voting which led to the election of the 1st woman candidate, who is now the president of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Speaking on Kenya, Jane Onyango, noted that Kenya has struggled with the affirmative action bill since the early 1990s after the Beijing Women’s conference. The affirmative action bill was shot down in parliament, then came the constitutional amendment bill that proposed 50 special seats for women in parliament and was recently shot down by a male dominated parliament. The bill received opposition from both sides of the house.

As AfriMAP launches reports on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in Ghana and Mauritius, Gawaya Tegulle writes that the APRM “is a way of having African leaders compare notes and ensure that they are steering their nations according to a set standard, whose aim is to ensure a democratic, free, prosperous and peaceful continent”, but, argues that the mechanism comes at the wrong time. With African leaders who are intent on consolidating power funding and controlling the process and the review’s methodology being so dense that “by the time a review is completed and implemented, so much water would have passed under the bridge”, the author argues that only a new breed of African leaders will create a successful review.

Lastly, Joan Gathoni writes of the launch of the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) held in Nairobi during which Chief Executives from media companies across Africa deliberated on common issues and ways of addressing them. The President of the new Broadcasting Union, Ben Egbuna, says the organization “project the true image of Africa”.

The AU Monitor also brings you the agenda of the sixth session of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights as well as the African Union web page on Economic Partnership Agreements.