Addis Ababa (National Times)-The African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council staged an emergency meeting on Thursday June 6th meeting at (AU) Commission headquarters in Addis Ababa-Ethiopia announcing the suspension of Sudan from the continental body over a military crackdown on protesters.
“The AU Peace and Security Council has with immediate effect suspended the participation of the Republic of Sudan in all AU activities until the effective establishment of a civilian-led Transitional Authority, as the only way to allow the Sudan to exit from the current crisis,” a statement on the twitter account of the AU Peace and Security Commission read.
The announcement comes after the military council which is ruling Sudan now announced the suspension of all talks with civil society groups and political parties. Since then the military has unleashed soldiers into the streets and according to the Sudanese Doctors Union, about 108 persons have been killed with 500 wounded already.
While many, especially in Sudan appreciate the timely intervention of the AU,others have criticized the body for what they called “selective application of the law” especially in cases like Cameroon where a conflict in the English-speaking Region is inching towards a third year with thousands killed and over 206 villages burnt so far.
One respondent said, “I never knew the African Union was existing. For 3 years now and counting, with the genocide ongoing in Southern Cameroons the AU has never taken any action against the Biya regime in Yaoundé. So can the Chair and members of the Security Council tell us what the hell is going on?”
“Anglophone crisis has exposed the selective justice by African Union. So the African Union could still respond to Human Rights violations,” another respondent said. “What is the African Union doing about ongoing crimes against humanity committed in Cameroon?” a writer asked.
While replying to the AU, Dr David Matsanga noted; “This step should also apply to countries whose human rights records are appalling like Cameroon on the killings in Ambazonia.”
On April 11, 2019, the Sudanese military Generals deposed longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir following weeks of protest against his three decade rule. It announced that it wanted to hand power to a civilian-led government.
Negotiations were opened with the opposition and civil society with the later insisting on heading the transitional government. On May 16, the Transitional Military Council suspended talks with opposition and later announced that it shall be organizing elections in nine months’ time. Since then it had been under pressure from the international community especially the AU to hand over power to a civilian administration.
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