Contact: Achieng Akena at + 251 91 212 0252 and Oladapo Awosokanre at + 251 912 129 331
NGOs Hail Election of Ghana to the Presidency of the African Union
(ADDIS ABABA, 29 January 2023): The Darfur Consortium today welcomed the accession of the Republic of Ghana to the Presidency of the African Union (AU).
This afternoon in Addis Ababa Africa Heads of State meeting at the 8th African Union summit decided that Ghana’s President H.E. John Agyekum Kufuor would succeed President Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of Congo as President of the 53 member Union.
“We have every expectation that President Kufuor will continue to demonstrate at the helm of African Union the level of commitment he has shown to promoting peace and security in Darfur” said Achieng Akena, a spokesperson for the Consortium.
Ghana has taken a generous and principled stand on the responsibility to protect civilians in Darfur in African Union and United Nations since the outset of the crisis, including through contributing personnel towards the African Union Mission in Darfur (AMIS) and co-sponsoring UN Security Council Resolution 1706 calling for inter alia the strengthening of AMIS.
“We look now to President Kufuor to continue this leadership” added Ms Akena.
The Consortium calls on President Kufuor to work urgently with the African Union and African States to ensure that:
- Sudan observes a clear timetable for the implementation of the three phases of the hybrid AU-UN force deployment to which it has agreed and moves effectively disarm its Janjaweed militia;
- African States send more troops to Darfur – Africa is still mandated to lead the force and must fulfil its responsibility to protect;
- African States support the deployment of UN peacekeepers to Chad where over a half a million displaced Darfurians and Chadians are desperately in need of security;
- meaningful and inclusive peace negotiations on Darfur are revitalised.
ENDS
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Member Organizations:
Action Professionals Association for the People
Aegis Trust Rwanda
African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies
African Center for Development
African Society of International and Comparative Law
African Women's Development and Communications Network (FEMNET)
The Ahueni Foundation
Alliances for Africa
Amman Centre for Human Rights Studies
Andalus Institute for Tolerance
Anti-Slavery International
Arab Program for Human Rights Activists
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
Centre for Minority Rights Development (CEMIRIDE)
Centre for Research Education and Development of Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights (CREDO)
Citizens for Global Solutions
Conseil national pour les libertés en Tunisie
Darfur Alert Coalition
Darfur Centre for Human Rights and Development
Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre
Egyptian Organization for Human Rights
La Fédération Internationale des Droits de l'Homme (FIDH)
Femmes Africa Solidarité
Human Rights Centre, University of Pretoria
Human Rights First
Human Rights Institute of South Africa (HURISA)
Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa
Inter-African Union for Human Rights (UIDH)
Interights
International Commission of Jurists
International Refugee Rights Initiative
Justice Africa
Justice and Peace Commission
Lawyers for Human Rights
Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections
Legal Resources Consortium-Nigeria
Ligue Tunisienne des Droits de l'Homme
Makumira University College, Tumaini University
Minority Rights Group
National Association of Seadogs
Open Society Justice Initiative
Pan-African Movement
People Against Injustice (PAIN)
Rencontre Africaine Pour la Defense des Droits de l'Homme (RADDHO)
Sudan Organization Against Torture
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)
Sudanese Refugee Association in South Africa
Syrian Organization for Human Rights
Universal Human Rights Network
WARIPNET
World Organization Against Torture
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