Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi took the reins of the 53-nation African Union at a summit in Ethiopia on Monday amid concerns over deadly unrest in Madagascar and a bid to indict Sudan's president for war crimes. Gaddafi, who has long promoted stronger union within the organization and poured money into some parts of Africa, was handed the chairman's gavel by outgoing AU leader Jakaya Kikwete, the Tanzanian president, to warm applause from other leaders.But Southern African leaders had lobbied for a leader from their region, as the next summit moves to crisis-hit Madagascar, according to delegates to the summit. Other African nations were also unhappy about the choice of Gaddafi as the bloc's chairman but under AU rules the post rotates among Africa's regions and this year was set to go to a North African leader. Gaddafi was the only one present.
"United States of Africa"
| " I hope my term will be a time of serious work and not just words...I shall continue to insist that our sovereign countries work to achieve the United States of Africa. " Gaddafi |
Gaddafi and Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade have been calling for years for an accelerated process towards a union government, saying it is the only way to meet the challenges of globalization, fighting poverty and resolving conflicts without Western interference.
Kikwete told a news conference on Sunday night the meeting had agreed only to change the name of the current AU Commission into an "authority," rejecting a proposal by the body itself to transform it immediately into a union government. But many African heads of state are loathe to relinquish any of their sovereignty, and during closed-door talks on Sunday, they again postponed his dream of closer union.
Political unrest
The summit, which ends on Tuesday, has been overshadowed by political unrest in Madagascar, torn apart in a power struggle that has killed 68 people so far. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the summit he was "particularly concerned" about the crisis, and urged that all parties "address their differences peacefully and through existing constitutional mechanisms."