Ethiopia, Zimbabwe high on AU human rights agenda

EthioMedia/The Observer
June 30, 2006

Ethiopia's tyrant Meles Zenawi, who has arrived in Banjul, has been strongly lobbying for support notably from Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and other key players to stave off outright condemnations at the Summit.

Meles, who had wrongly been regarded as the darling democrat of an African nation emerged as a cold-blooded murderer after he lost elections in May 2005 and his security forces killed over dozens of protesters and the country came under a nationwide crackdown which threw opposition leaders, journalists, civil rights workers behind bars.

Political observers rule out the possibility of an AU Summit condemning an African dictator over human rights violations as most of them are perpetrators of same crimes. The observers made the remarks after AU ministers failed on Thursday to adopt a highly anticipated charter dealing with democracy, good governance and elections.

African leaders arrive in Banjul

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh Thursday received at the Banjul International Airport a number of African Heads of State and government, and other leaders attending the 7th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of African Heads of State.

He was joined by Alpha Omar Konare, President of the African Union, to welcome the visiting Heads of State, while Edward Sighateh SoS for Forestry and the Environment, received few other Prime Ministers, on behalf of President Jammeh.

President Fetus Gondebanye Mogae of Botswana, President Mutharika of Malawi, and President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya arrived first. Then Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili of the Kingdom of Lesotho jetted in. Shortly afterwards, President Denis Sassou Ngesso of the Republic of Congo Brazzaville, President Olusegun Obasanjo of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Laurent Gbagbo of Cote d’Ivoire, and Prime Minister of Comoros Island arrived.

Later on, Prime Minister Themba Dlamini of Swaziland, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, President Armando Emilio Guebuza of Mozambique joined the list of arrival. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand also arrived in Banjul as Special Guests of President Jammeh for the AU Banjul Summit. A fraction of communities of various nationalities resident in The Gambia, alongside the local cultural troops cheered the Heads of State.

According to reports reaching the Daily Observer, the Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius, and President Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed of Somalia arrived in the country on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Col Muammar Ghaddafi, President of Libya, arrived in Banjul with his entourage in a fleet of vehicles via Senegal. President Ghaddafi was received at Barra by the Vice President, Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy, alongside Dr Tamsir Mbowe, Secretary of State for Health and Social Welfare, and Mrs Susan Wafa-Ogoo, Secretary of State for Tourism and Culture.

Thousands of Gambians and other nationals living in The Gambia lined the streets and the highways in Banjul and the Kombos to welcome the African leaders as they got escorted to their palatial villas at the Sanimentereng AU Village in Brufut, Kombo North.

People of the North Bank Division crowded the main road from Amdalye border to Barra and then cheered the Libyan leader as he passed by villages and hamlets with his heavily-guarded convoy.