Monitoring the Monitor: Elections at the African Union

With the many elections held in 2011, Africa witnessed what one may call a ‘generational progression on democracy’. Ironically, the nominations for the elections at the African Union Commission (AU Commission), which takes place in January 2012, reflects no such trend. Monitoring the Monitor: Elections at the African Union

ICC and African leaders: the good, the bad and the ugly

The International Criminal Court (ICC) and Africa—for quite sometime now—have endured a complex relationship. For Africa, ICC is ‘the Good’, the current Chief Prosecutor is ‘the Bad’, and African leaders of governments and rebel groups implicated human rights violations are however ‘the Ugly’ argues, Mehari Taddele Maru. ICC and African leaders: the good, the bad ...

On Unconstitutional Changes of Government: The Case of Libya’s NTC

Mehari Taddele Maru, Programme Head, African Conflict Prevention Programme, ISS Addis Ababa Office. The African Union (AU) High-Level ad hoc committee on Libya in its 14 September 2011 meeting, held in Pretoria, South Africa, reviewed the situation in Libya. The Communiqué of the ad hoc committee indicates the continuous communication between the AU Commission and ...

How the AU Should Have Recognised the Libyan NTC

How the AU Should Have Recognised the Libyan NTC
During its 291st Meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council, the African Union (AU) failed to officially recognise the National Transitional Council (NTC) in Libya. It indicated that it would grant recognition only when an ‘all-inclusive transitional government’ is established in Libya. For this reason, the former Libyan representatives to the AU, who are ...

Korea Looks to Old Ties to Share Secrets of Development

The visit by the Korean President demonstrates its growing commitments in Ethiopia and the rest of Africa, and an opportunity for the continent to learn from Korea’s extraordinary path to development, argues Mehari Taddele Maru, Mehari.maru(at)stcross-oxford.com, who works as a conflict prevention programme coordinator in an international organisation. He has also served as legal expert ...

The Kampala Convention and its contribution in filling the protection gap in international law

The Kampala Convention and its contribution in filling the protection gap in international law
In October 2009, the African Union (AU) Summit in Kampala, Uganda, adopted the AU Convention on the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (the Kampala Convention). The principal objective of this research project is to examine a few major provisions of the Kampala Convention and offer a legal analysis of its content, novelty and ...

Articles on the Kampala Convention

http://www.sudantribune.com/A-Strategy-for-a-peaceful,22713 http://ajol.info/index.php/ai/article/view/54669 http://ajol.info/index.php/ai/issue/view/7281 http://www.accord.org.za/publications/conflict-trends/downloads/724- http://www.africa-union.org/root/UA/Newsletter/EA/Fridays_of_the_Commission/2010/AUC%20Vol1%20FF%20Low%20Res.pdf http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2010/s2834100.htm http://en.ethiopianreporter.com/content/view/1282/1/ http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2009/s2686187.htm

Federalism and Conflict and Ethiopia

Federalism and Conflict and Ethiopia
At just over 77 million, Ethiopia is the third-most populous country in Africa. since 1991, Ethiopia has been implementing an ethno-linguistic federal politico-legal arrangement. As per Articles 1 and 47 of the Constitution of the Federal Democratic republic of Ethiopia, the country is a federation of nine ethno-linguistically divided regional states. These can be classified ...

Arms control and arms traditions in Ethiopia. Mehari Taddele Maru

Arms control and arms traditions in Ethiopia. Mehari Taddele Maru
Ethiopia is party to the Nairobi Protocol for Prevention, Control in Reduction of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa (Nairobi Protocol), which compels signatories to dispose of confiscated and unlicensed small arms and light weapons (SALWs). This provision is also included in Ethiopian law. According to ...

Lessons for Africa from the Economic Development of China and India

Lessons for Africa from the Economic Development of China and India
Current discussions on Africa–China relations unsatisfactorily focus mainly on China’s interests in Africa and its unconditional assistance extended to undemocratic governments in Africa. Therefore, it is important to discuss bilateral trade and China’s interests in Africa particularly in terms of the former’s energy insecurity and its role as the spoiler in African conflicts. It is ...