2006 in Africa


Incumbents

[African Union] (AU)

  • The AU met in Khartoum on January 23 and January 24, 2006. It decided against the extradition of former Chadian president Hissène Habré to Belgium and announced the formation of a commission to find an African judiciary to try him. Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of the Congo, became the Chairperson of the African Union's Assembly of Heads of State. The chair was originally supposed to return to Sudan, but at the request of several AU members, President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir decided to relinquish his position in view of the AU's participation in the resolution of the Darfur conflict. Members agreed that his chairmanship would affect the credibility of the AU.

    [Economic Community of West African States] (ECOWAS)

  • The Ordinary Summit of ECOWAS was held in Niamey on 13 January 2006 with the Heads of State of Niger, Mali, Togo, Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria. The 10 other member countries were represented by their Foreign Ministers. The ECOWAS asked the G8 to extend the cancellation of debt to the whole of the Member States of the organization. It re-elected its chair Tandja Mamadou and decided to transform the secretariat into a commission with a President, a vice-president and 7 Commissioners. ECOWAS is pleased with the nomination by consensus of a Prime Minister and the composition of a government of national unity in Côte d’Ivoire, as well as the presidential elections being held in Liberia and in Guinea-Bissau. On the economic level, the Heads of State expressed their support for a plan to create a regional airline company "to overcome the difficulties in air transport" in the subregion.
  • During the summit in Abuja on 14 June 2006, the Heads of States of ECOWAS approved a modification of the organization's hierarchy. The secretariat is to be replaced by a commission of the nine police chiefs of the member states. The 4-year term of the police chiefs from Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo will begin in January 2007. Ghana will head the commission, while Burkina Faso will take the vice-presidency. ECOWAS also adopted a convention which aims "to prohibit the sale of light weapons within the community and between member states, except for the legitimate defense needs of these states or for their participation in peacekeeping operations".
  • The joint summit of ECOWAS and UEMOA planned for December 22 and December 23, 2006, was cancelled following confrontations between soldiers and police officers in Ouagadougou on December 20.

    [Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa] (CEMAC)

  • The 7th Summit of CEMAC was held in Libreville on March 16, 2006. The heads of state of the organization decided to form a strategic international committee to discuss and plan the proposed restructuring of the CEMAC's institutions. They were also concerned with the renewed spread of avian influenza brought up by Cameroon and gave its support to Chadian president Idriss Déby Itno in his opposition of Sudanese actions. Idriss Déby holds the chair of CEMAC.

    [West African Economic and Monetary Union] (UEMOA)

  • The 10th Ordinary Summit of the heads of state and government of the UEMOA took place on March 27, 2006, in Niamey with presidents Tandja Mamadou, Mathieu Kérékou, Blaise Compaoré, Amadou Toumani Touré, Abdoulaye Wade, Faure Gnassingbé and prime ministers Charles Konan Banny and Aristide Gomé. The heads of state could not agree on whether to allow Charles Konan Banny and Yayi Boni to ascend to the presidencies of the Central Bank of West Africa and Development Bank of West Africa respectively. They instead decided to lengthen the terms of the current temporary presidents, Damo Justin Barro of the Central Bank and Issa Coulibaly of the Development Bank until the next summit.
  • The joint summit of ECOWAS and UEMOA planned for December 22 and December 23, 2006, was cancelled following confrontations between soldiers and police officers in Ouagadougou on December 20.