But Clinton admitted the Americans‘‘do not know as much as we wouldlike to’’ about the National Transi-tional Council. In Washington, Admi-

ral James Stavridis, NATO’s supremeallied commander in Europe, told theSenate that intelligence analysis hadrevealed ‘‘flickers’’ of al-Qaeda or Hez-

bollah presence inside the movement,and argued it required further study.(The Guardian, London 30 ⁄ 3) Gaddafy defies

international pressure p. 18734

CONFERENCES

AFRICAN UNIONFuture Challenges

Is the organisation capable of endingthe turmoil in North Africa andCote d’Ivoire?

The AU chairman, Teodoro ObiangNguema, has expressed confidence inAfrica’s ability to resolve the NorthAfrican rebellion, saying political plu-ralism and greater civil liberties wereneeded to ensure stability.

The Equatorial Guinean President, vis-iting the AU Commission headquartersfor the first time since his election inJanuary, said the lack of political plu-ralism, gender imbalances and lack ofproper jobs for the youth posed majorchallenges.

Speaking at a meeting with Africanambassadors, Nguema said althoughAfrica had been liberated, the continentstill faced major challenges, includingthe need for greater civil liberties, com-petitive political pluralism and genderequality.

He said the fight against illiteracy andpoverty should form part of the solu-tion to the current uprisings in NorthAfrica.

President Nguema called on the ambas-sadors to encourage their governmentsto work in a spirit of African solidarityin the search for African solutions toAfrica’s problems. He said the crises inCote d’Ivoire and Libya would beresolved peacefully. (PANA, Addis Ababa11 ⁄ 3)

Meanwhile the ad-hoc High-Level AUPanel on Libya said it opposed any for-eign military intervention in Libya.

According to media reports on March20th, Mauritanian President Ould AbdelAziz said that the situation in the coun-try demanded urgent action so that anAfrican solution could be found to thevery serious crisis (p. 18751). (Bua-News, Tshwane 20 ⁄ 3)AU Commission Change: A team ofAfrican legal experts considered the

process of transforming the AfricanUnion Commission (AUC) into theAfrican Union Authority at the 4thmeeting of government experts fromMarch 14th-22nd in Addis Ababa. Thegroup was expected to finalise the legalinstruments on the transformation,aimed at strengthening the institutionalframework of the AU, thereby acceler-ating the economic and political inte-gration of the continent.

The legal instruments on the transfor-mation will be submitted to the 17thordinary session of the assembly in June2011 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, atwhich time ratification would entail theestablishment of the authority.

The AU Commission, which is a secre-tariat of the union, is entrusted withexecutive functions of the union and ischaired by Dr Jean Ping. It is com-posed of 10 officials including a chair-person, a deputy chairperson and othereight commissioners as well as staffmembers. (The Reporter website, Addis Ab-aba 16 ⁄ 3)

IN BRIEFArab League: The annual summit of theArab League, which had been due to be heldin Baghdad on March 29th, will now takeplace on May 11th. It will be preceded by ameeting of Foreign Ministers. The originaldate was put back because of the wave ofpopular unrest sweeping across the region.(�AFP 13 ⁄ 3 2011)

ECOWAS: The 39th ordinary summit of theregional bloc in Abuja lifted sanctionsagainst Niger and Guinea, after elections inthe two countries returned them both tocivilian rule.

ECOWAS suspended Niger and halted eco-nomic and bilateral assistance to the nationin 2009 after ex-President Mamadou Tandjachanged the constitution to extend his rule.A military junta ousted Tandja in 2010 butstuck to a pledge to organise credible elec-tions (p. 18764).

The bloc also lifted sanctions on Guinea,imposed in 2009 following a bloody crack-down by security forces on protesters, andincluded an arms embargo. President AlphaConde won a hotly contested poll lastNovember that ended nearly two years ofmilitary junta rule. (News Agencies 24 ⁄ 3)European Union: On March 21st, the EUlifted its sanctions on 85 out of 89 peopleknown to be close to the ex-ruling junta in

Guinea, which seized power in February2008. The move had followed the killing ofanti-government protestors on September28th 2009. The ex-junta leader Capt MoussaDadis Camara is still on the list. (Guinee-news website 24 ⁄ 3)

POLITICALRELATIONS

ETHIOPIA – ERITREADestabilising Strategy?

The war of words between the twounfriendly countries continues una-bated.

Ethiopian TV on March 16th reportedon a press release from the Ministry ofForeign Affairs, which said that Eri-trea’s attempts to carry out terroristacts in Ethiopia could not be takenlightly. The Ethiopian governmentwould request the international com-munity to help in stopping the Eritreangovernment’s attempts to carry out actsof terrorism in Ethiopia. In a monthlybriefing of the situation, Ethiopia saidif the international community failed totake action, the Ethiopian governmentwould take alternative actions to pro-tect the country and its people fromattacks.

The briefing stated that Ethiopia wasplaying its usual constructive role forthe prevalence of peace and stability inregional countries. (Ethiopian TV, AddisAbaba 16 ⁄ 3)

The Reporter, Addis Ababa (19 ⁄ 3)meanwhile reported that the Ethiopiangovernment had urged the UN and theUS government to take appropriateaction against Eritrea to stop it fromdestabilising the Horn of Africa andwarned that it would take unilateralaction if the Eritrean regime were tocontinue with its policy.

Briefing local journalists about hisrecent visit to New York, HailemariamDesalegn, Deputy Prime Minister andMinister of Foreign Affairs, said thatthe Ethiopian government had changedits long standing policy on Eritrea thathad been entirely based on defensivemeasures. He indicated that he dis-cussed issues regarding regional peaceand security with pertinent UN and USstate department officials. According tohim, the Ethiopian government urgedthese officials to immediately implementthe previous sanctions imposed on Eri-trea by the UN Security Council.

Continental Alignments

Continental Alignments

18756 – Africa Research Bulletin

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� Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2011.