Topic: African Union

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Somalia: A timeline of change in a troubled country

Here is a timeline of changes, intervention, and mediation in 5 bite-sized bits.
3 questions US forces must answer before declaring victory in Libya

Even as fighting in Libya continues, Pentagon officials and US commanders overseeing operations on the ground are wrestling with tough questions about the future of the campaign – and what military forces still need to do before they can consider it a victory.
Four reasons help is slow to reach Somalia’s famine victims

As more information about East Africa’s famine reaches Western audiences, the situation looks increasingly grim – but aid doesn’t seem to be keeping pace with the publicity. What challenges do humanitarian organizations face?
Uganda election: Four reasons donor nations won't turn their backs on President Museveni

As recent events in Egypt have shown, international support for aging despots can wane quickly once crowds hit the street and violence kicks off. Here are some reasons why the international community might not want to push Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni too hard.
Why Tunisia's winds of change aren't blowing south to sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa has remained quiet even as protests spread across North Africa from Tunisia to Egypt and onward to Yemen and Jordan.

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Africa Monitor
Ivory Coast police fire live rounds to disperse protest as African Union ponders mediation

Police loyal to Ivory Coast's renegade incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo today dispersed a rally led by supporters of President-elect Alassane Ouattara.
Uganda election: Four reasons donor nations won't turn their backs on President Museveni

As recent events in Egypt have shown, international support for aging despots can wane quickly once crowds hit the street and violence kicks off. Here are some reasons why the international community might not want to push Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni too hard.
South Africa's now-neutral stance on Ivory Coast infuriates president-elect's camp

South African President Jacob Zuma is set to go to Ivory Coast this weekend in a bid to negotiate a powersharing agreement that will pull the country back from the brink of another civil war.
Africa Monitor
Five African stories you may have missed during Egypt's revolt

Street protests in Gabon, a punishing stalemate in Ivory Coast, a coming election in Uganda: there is plenty of news even as Africans remain glued to the Egypt revolt. Some of it may affect the price of your next steaming cup of cocoa.
Sudan after the referendum: a test case for Africa

The largest country in Africa was also a microcosm for the continent's many challenges. Will a newly independent South Sudan lead the way?
Terrorism sponsor no more? Obama hints at taking Sudan from the list.

US says it holds the door open for Sudan to be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism if it meets its 'obligations,' including recognition of an independent South Sudan.
Africa Monitor
Somalia transitional parliament extends term three years, prompting criticism

The vote of Somalia's transitional parliament to extend its term may damage its international credibility and undermine support in the West.
Why Tunisia's winds of change aren't blowing south to sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa has remained quiet even as protests spread across North Africa from Tunisia to Egypt and onward to Yemen and Jordan.
Terrorism & Security
Sudan sees Egypt-inspired protests in the North, jubilation on referendum in the South

Antigovernment protests in North Sudan led to the death of a university student Sunday while South Sudanese celebrated an overwhelming vote for independence.
It's official: South Sudan set to secede with a 99.57 percent vote

South Sudan's long-awaited independence referendum produced an overwhelming turnout of 99 percent among voters in the south, one of the poorest and least developed regions on earth.
Africa Monitor
South Sudan welcomes outside help as it begins building a nation

Many are skeptical of how much outsiders can help South Sudan build itself into a country, but correspondent Maggie Fick has met some she thinks can make a difference.
Robert Mugabe clamps down further in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is warily eyeing the recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. Some analysts say those are prompting him to speed up elections and intensify an intimidation campaign against the opposition.
Africa Monitor
African Union leaders divided about Ivory Coast intervention

The theme at this week's annual African Union summit is 'shared values,' but it's clear there is little shared vision for how to handle the increasingly violent post-election crisis in Ivory Coast.
Aid workers rush to help Ivory Coast refugees flooding into Liberia

Refugees from the Ivory Coast have been streaming across the Liberian border at a rate of roughly 500 per day, according to the United Nations.
Africa Monitor
What would it take to remove Ivory Coast's Gbagbo?

So far, international pressure has failed to convince incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo to step down in Ivory Coast after he lost the Nov. 28 election by 8 percentage points.
South Sudan upbeat amid vote, but threat of border violence casts shadow

Lines were long on the peaceful second day of voting in South Sudan's independence referendum. But concerns rose over clashes in the Abyei region, along the north-south border.
African Union says diplomatic options remain in Ivory Coast

Despite threats from regional bloc ECOWAS that it would soon use force in Ivory Coast, leaders of the African Union said they will give mediation efforts more time.
Sudan's Bashir softens tone in rare visit to semiautonomous South

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir said Tuesday that he would 'celebrate' South Sudan's decision on whether to secede after its Jan. 9 referendum on the issue.
Ivory Coast election crisis: A roadmap for African political reform

As Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo refuses to cede power to election-winner Alassane Ouattara, this divided country has become a poster child for Africa's crisis of governance. For fundamental reform, Ivory Coast should take a cue from China, not just the West.
Africa Monitor
This Week in the Great Lakes: Congo and UN tango over child soldiers while US preaches engagement

A holiday season roundup of this week's news from Africa's Great Lakes region: women march in the Congo for more legal action against rapists, Rwandan journalists petition for changes to defamation laws, and Al Shabab remains a threat in Burundi.
Kenya's Odinga named to mediate Ivory Coast political crisis

Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has been named by the African Union to mediate Ivory Coast's political crisis and avert another civil war.
Gbagbo stands strong despite threats of military intervention in Ivory Coast

Security analysts say that despite talk of military intervention to oust Ivory Coast Incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, an effective attempt by international forces is unlikely.
Ivory Coast opposition wants President Gbagbo ousted by force

Ivory Coast opposition leader and internationally recognized President-elect Alassane Ouattara urged international bodies to force Laurent Gbagbo from the presidency.
Kenya and Uganda boost security after grenade blast linked to Al Shabab

Kenyan and Ugandan officials have linked the blast to Al Shabab, the Somali militia that took credit for a July suicide bombing that killed 79 at two restaurants in Kampala, Uganda.
Africa Monitor
Sudan referendum fuels tension in key border town of Abyei

Ethnic tensions rise as large numbers of displaced Ngok Dinka return to Abyei ahead of the historic Jan. 9 Sudan referendum.