Africa: Mixed Reviews From Civil Society

Posted to the web 4 July 2008 Aya Batrawy Cairo Civil society organisations (CSOs) have mixed feelings about the outcomes of the latest African Union Summit, which concluded in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh earlier this week. The summit meeting of African heads of state and officials was largely dominated by debate - or lack thereof - over the crisis in Zimbabwe and the participation of the controversial president, Robert Mugabe. But some civil society groups felt that the AU Summit lacked the critical analysis and genuine commitment to action needed to bring forth positive interventions in conflicts such as that in Zimbabwe or on other critical issues in Africa. Over 100 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) met in Sharm El Sheikh ahead of the Summit itself to prepare for the AU's official meetings, but according to... [read full story]