Friday

29th Mar 2024

Sudan leader should not attend EU-Africa summit, say NGOs

Leading NGOs have called for Sudan's president to be barred from attending the EU-Africa summit in December, while EU capitals continue to be divided over what to do with Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's presence at the summit in Lisbon "could be interpreted as a legitimisation of atrocities committed by the Khartoum regime in Darfur," said Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch on Friday (19 October), according to AFP.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

In Sudan's Darfur region, more than 200,000 people have died in the past four years while 2.5 million have been forced from their homes by government forces or the government-backed militia, the Janjaweed.

The NGOs also called on the EU to apply sanctions against Khartoum and freeze foreign bank accounts held by the Sudanese president and other leaders in Africa's largest country.

The call came as EU leaders gathered in Lisbon on Thursday and Friday for an informal meeting, where renewed signs of divisions on the controversial issue of Mr Mugabe's attendance at the same summit emerged.

The Zimbabwean leader is accused of human rights abuses, rigging elections and has been held responsible for creating economic chaos in Zimbabwe, which now has the world's highest inflation rate of some 6,600 percent, and unemployment of around 80 percent.

Mr Mugabe, in power since his country's independence in 1980, currently has an EU travel ban against him issued in 2002, after his ruling Zanu–PF party won in what the EU considers a rigged election.

Portugal – which currently holds the rotating EU presidency – plans to host the first EU–Africa summit in seven years on 8-9 December 2007. It would be the second EU-African Union summit ever held.

The same row over Mr Mugabe's attendance indefinitely postponed a summit scheduled for 2003.

African leaders - who see him as a hero of the anti-colonial struggle for independence – have said they will boycott the summit if the Zimbabwean leader is not invited.

Even Ghana's leader John Kufuor, who has previously described the situation in Zimbabwe as "an embarrassment to the African conscience", is saying Africa is indivisible on this issue.

But UK leader Gordon Brown reiterated last week his intention to boycott the EU-Africa summit if Mr Mugabe comes Lisbon. The Czech Republic is considering a similar move.

German chancellor Angela Merkel, on the other hand, on Friday opposed such a move arguing that "criticism of Mr Mugabe can be levelled at him when he is there," reports Reuters.

"I am going regardless," Ms Merkel said. "I think we should have this summit ... it wouldn't be responsible if everyone was interested in Africa but not us," she added.

Brussels wants to launch a 'strategic partnership' with the African countries to manage closer political and economic reforms, and Lisbon views the December summit as central to this goal.

However, the EU's focus on promoting human rights and good governance in Africa as a basis for trade and investment is under pressure from China's increasing economic influence on the continent.

Correction - An earlier version of this article said that Oxfam International took part in the call for Sudan's president not to take part in the EU-Africa summit. This was not the case.

Commissioner suggests solution to EU-Africa summit dilemma

EU external affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner has suggested that a government minister could represent Zimbabwe at the forthcoming EU-Africa summit as a solution to some EU capitals' refusal to sit at the table with president Robert Mugabe.

US and EU breaking taboos to restrain Israel

The US abstained and all EU states on the UN Security Council backed a call for an "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza, as Europe prepares to also blacklist extremist Israeli settlers.

EU warns Russia over Moscow terror attacks

Europe has warned Russia not to use the weekend's terror attacks in Moscow as a pretext to escalate its war in Ukraine and crackdown on internal dissent.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

Latest News

  1. Kenyan traders react angrily to proposed EU clothes ban
  2. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  3. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  4. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  5. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  6. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  7. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  8. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us