Bingu’s AU chair endorsement ‘a new opportunity for change’ -Watchdog
Malawi human rights campaigners have welcomed the endorsement by Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders of President Dr Bingu wa Mutharika to head the African Union (AU) in 2010 and hopes that he will put to an end the abuse of human rights defenders on the continent when he takes over the chairmanship.
A decision to proffer Wa Mutharika for the AU chairman to replace Muammar Gadaffi of Libya was reached at a SADC meeting held last month.
The AU chairmanship operates on rotational basis, and next year it’s the turn for SADC and the region’s leaders have earmarked Malawi President for the position.
The Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) says it is excited with the endorsement because the body has an observer status with the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights and is an elected member of the General Assembly of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union (ECOSOCC), an organ established by African Heads of State and Government following the adoption of the Consultative Act of the AU on 11July, 2000.
“It is our hope, as CHRR, that with our own President at the helm of this important continental body, it will be easier to address issues of human rights, good governance and constitutionals on the continent,” said CHRR in a statement e-mailed to Nyasa Times by Michael Kaiyatsa 
Programme Assistant.
CHRR noted that President Mutharika will assume the AU chairmanship at a time when the continent is facing numerous challenges. Top among the challenges, CHRR pointed out, are the protracted conflicts in Somalia, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the constant threats to human rights in Gambia, Ethiopia, Niger, Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea.
“We at CHRR are also deeply concerned on the continuing harassment, intimidation and abuse of human rights defenders on the continent, particularly in countries like Gambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Niger, Somalia and the Sudan,” the statement said.
The rights watchdog said in Gambia, human rights defenders have been targeted in a blatant campaign designed to silence human rights activists who speak for justice, and instill fear in civil society organizations and their leaders.
“Just a few days ago, Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, threatened to kill all human rights defenders in and those entering the country who are speaking out for justice. Human rights activists are facing similar threats in other parts of the African continent, besides Gambia.”
CHRR said the threats are not only threatening the enjoyment of human rights by the citizens of the AU, but also restricting the vital work of human rights workers on the continent.
“We, CHRR, therefore, take this opportunity to appeal to President Mutharika to use his position when he assumes the chairmanship of the AU in January next year to put an end to the harassment, intimidation and abuse of human rights defenders on the continent,”
The rights campaigner appealed to President Mutharika and the AU to take a strong stand on the Gambia and condemn President Jammeh for threatening to kill human rights activists who are working in and entering his country.
“The AU should send a clear message to the Gambian leader that such threats have no place in the African Union and will not be tolerated. These remarks do not give a good image to African Union taking into consideration that the Gambia is the Headquarters of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights,” said the Malawi rights group.
CHRR said it joins other human rights groups on the continent who are demanding that the African Union Human Rights Commission headquarters be removed from the Gambia capital, Banjul, to a different country “as Gambia is no longer a suitable place to house the Commission”.
Nonetheless, the rights campaigners noted that intimidation, harassment and abuse of human rights defenders are not only taking place outside Malawi but also within the southern African nation.
“It is not a secret that some human rights defenders within Malawi have received death threats while others have been threatened with litigation simply for speaking out for justice on behalf of the voiceless,” said the statement.
Recently, CHRR executive director Undule Mwakasungula is reported to be death threatened and has been sued by opposition leader John Tembo over alleged defamation linking his name to the mysterious death of his former protégé-turned critic Ishmael Chafukira.
Late Chafukira’s death is currently under probe.
CHRR urged President Mutharika to attach top priority to the protection of Africa’s human rights defenders.
The rights body also made a call for AU to address human rights violations and impunity in conflict zones like Zimbabwe, Somalia and Sudan.
CHRR asked Mutharika to take a serious step to address the longstanding problem of impunity by asking the UN Security Council to establish a UN Commission of Inquiry into the worst human rights abuses in the affected countries.
“Most importantly, President Mutharika should encourage fellow AU heads of state and government to cooperate fully with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to bring to justice Sudan President Omar Hassan Al-bashir, who is being accused of war crimes and crime against humanity. Such cooperation would send a clear message of solidarity and healing to the victims of human rights violations that African leaders are acting in response to their suffering,” said the statement
CHRR also said it would like the AU under President Mutharika to take a strong stance on Zimbabwe and ensure that the country returns to constitutionalism, rule of law and for the country to hold democratic elections which will pave way for a new democratic Zimbabwe.
Another appeal said Mutharika as AU Chair should guarantee the promotion and protection of human rights on the continent by putting in place measures that prevent or discourage arms trade deals which are fueling gross human rights violations in countries such as Zimbabwe, Chad, DRC, Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
“We take due note of the fact that the arms trade between the west , China and African governments are fueling conflicts and crisis on the African continent are having serious implications for human rights enjoyment and economic advancement on our continent.”
The rights group also asked Mutharika to attach top priority to the protection of Africa’s environment and natural resources when he assumes the chairmanship of the AU.
CHRR noted that Mutharika, a passionate advocate of the Green Belt concept, has transformed food production in Malawi through his visionary leadership to such an extent that food shortage in Malawi is now no longer an issue in many parts of the country.
“We hope, through his leadership at the AU, President Mutharika will have the same vision for Africa of transforming agriculture so that the whole continent can be food secure. And we hope through his statesmanship and exemplary leadership, the President will inspire fellow heads of state and AU citizens to think broadly and adopt cost-effective ways and means of overcoming food insecurity on the continent,” said the rights group.
The watchdog said it recognize the right to food as being one of the most fundamental of rights.
“There can never be development on the African continent –and no poverty eradication –unless people have enough food. We, therefore, urge Dr. Mutharika to put food security on top of his AU top development agenda as he assumes the AU,” said the statement.
Many commentators on politics and economy in Malawi have commented in favour of Mutharika’s AU chairmanship saying it is credible for Africa to be headed by Malawi for the coming year, as the country’s President is credited for a good record on economic front as well as food security.
Charity begins at Home! Wishing all the best to the Warm Heart of Africa and Africa as a whole!!! Most of Africa now is information capable…knowledge is power in all cases!
A Bingu Woyee,
Mr. president, this is good news. I hope, if successful, you will also take time to ejukweti other African leaders to stick to their limit in office.
Welcome news indeed, koma inu a CHRR mwakambako za maiko amene ma human rights campaigners akuzunzidwa kapena kuopysezedwa, Malawi is not there but you’re always crying through your so called Mwakasungura in the papers, Bingu is not a good human rights adherer, good governance yankanika and so on! nDIYE KUTI MUMAMUNAMIZIRA ETI? ndisazamveso zimenezo, Malawi is a peace loving country and nothing like your rubbish stories on human rights against Bingu is happening in MW, you know it that’s why MW is free from inclusion on the same. Bingu is running this country professionary and that is true to every truth abiding citizen and those abroad, bwanji osamusanka Mugabe kapena, Gambia’s Jammey for the post?
Congratulations SADC leaders for endorsing His Excellency the State President Dr Bingu Wa Muthalika to lead the African Union in 2010. Dr Bingu Wa Muthaliika really deserves it . He is a visionary ,developmental, professional and what have you .All qualities of a good leader are in him . Congratulations Mr President , the entire world is aware that Malawi is now having the best leader .All the best Mr President as You will be leading the entire Africa . God bless Malawi .
This article is like a Pizza. It has got a little bit of everything jumbled up in it. It is making things very difficult for us. There are some pertinent issues that have been raised as well as flimsy ones. Why can’t the writer address those issues independent of each other? Personally I think this really is unfair for the reader.
1. It is the right move for this organisation to congratulate the president and indeed he is the right choice for the post at this point in time. Malawi and SADC should be proud and render him all the support he needs.
2. Undule is a perpetrator of human rights abuse and deserve no backing from any human rights organisation for as long as he does not own up. In my opinion, if CHRR has an aorta of decency left within it, it should carry some kind of action on him if not actually firing him. He is a disgrace to the organisation and the whole human rights trade in general. It actually concerns me to see how far the tentacles of influence CHRR has extending deep in Africa and yet we have at the helm of it educated savages like our Undule guy…You see people, this article seems to tell us that Undule’s as a human right activist is immune to the rule of law, how in the world would one think like that. It also seems to tell us that the threats that he claims to be getting makes him innocent. It is not like that. When one steals from a thief, it does not make the thief innocent, it only makes two thieves. …I wonder who is in the board of CHRR and where the organisation gets its support for the organisation to be so irresponsible like that. for an organisation of its calibre and the other NGO’s in Malawi to seat by and do nothing, I think something somewhere is fundamentally wrong. We need these organisations to now start publishing names and their accounts. Something somewhere is wrong.
3. I agree with the writer about the arms control issue. Much as I think it is unfair for China to be singled out by name when the other countries involved have been referred to only as some countries in the west, I think AU should put its foot down on how weapons find their way into Africa. A destabilized Africa is an easy target for exploitation by the west.
4. The environmental and food issues have to be on the agenda by all means.
5. The Zimbabwe issue is a bit complex and I really think a European funded organisation cannot in a million years handle it fairly. Mugabe made his blunders but the major culprit to the crisis in Zim is the UK and the Bush government. David Milibald recently sited the sanctions against Zim as one of the labour government’s achievements in the UK. Looking at how the people are suffering in Zim because of those sanctions, how can a whole foreign secretary in the UK government ask people to celebrate in that?
6. As long as Tony Blair and Bush are not mentioned along with the other people that have committed crimes against humanity, the ICC should shut up on President Omar Hassan Al-bashir. Whoever wants to bring out the issue should be prepared to bring Blair and Bush along as well. Africa should approach the Sudan issue from an African perspective not on the dictates of the one sided ICC.
7. The DRC issue is interesting. There are nasty games being played there by the USA, China and Britain. In fact apart from small internal human rights issue in all those other African countries; the main cause of human right abuse are the countries in the west from which CHRR gets its money. In the past they came to Africa with a gun and a bible, now they bring a gun and have replaced the Bible with human rights charters and development aid.
i like this critical observations to the article. one thing i will have reservation is marrying CHRR and Undule.
if anything, Undule is only an either employee or close figure to the interest of CHRR. Surely there are other technocrats and that all what Undule says in capacity as the Executive Director have a blessing of the Chair and the entire team on board.
If is to reffer to the first comment Undule made on Chafukira has an understanding that it was entirely on personal grounds. the second press release was then by the CHRR. it is not good indeed to marry the 2.
Just a word of caution to my friends in NGOs. It is high time we realise that people always watch us and anything we do have serious impact on the whole image of institutions we represent.
Otherwise all I have love of the issues raised by Chippa. thats too good to miss.
Thumbs up!!!
Thanks that some can appreciate what Chippa Chipa wrote. If human rights were Chess game, I feel the team which was supposed to put things right in eyes of spectators keep on missing important pieces and the game is going in wrong direction for them.
Mr President that is good news, but lease don’t listen some of the issues CHRR are raising in this article. Your role will be to bring Africa together, have one voice kususa usamunda umene ulipo wachibisira. Hope you are aware what african leaders and those from Latin America made at the recent meeting in USA. Issue of Sudan, zimbabwe and other countries need to be handled with care not the same way Undule handled the issue of Chafukira. I wonder what has the issue of Mwakasungula being sued has to do with AU. President Zuma has asked the countries to remove saction on Zimbabwe, thats what you should be doing. The issue of Sudan is to bring peace to it not to arrest the president for it will accelerate more troubles to Africa. Hope you will be trying to bring peace in sudan, somali and other countries not asking ICC to persecute them. Why ICC is not doing anything on Gaza war, where people used phosphate to burn innocent people. Why should ICC be interested with issues of Africa only. We are no longer under colonisation now. Hope you will help Africa to stand on its own and not be dectated on what we should be doing.
If the so called human right war is to be won i think there should be a clear interconection between other human right organisations, not only in the southern africa but africa as a village other than acting like wounded dogs who bark and seek for a croach, the other one screams in kenya others in Zimbabwe and then an echo in Nyasaland, this will not work, to me they just save the interest of their masters in Kwazunguland can CHRR speak for the whole africa? isn’t there any human rights groups in sudan, Kongo or Uganda? what noise do they make about Malawi when we are hit by an iron fist? ididn’t here a hiss! Secondry they must start dealing with issues that directly are threats to human nature other than spending time in riding an intercultural wave that makes our hair stand up, the endorsing of Bingu is not based on his human rights record if he has any, that i i need meditation abit, but i think African leaders have come at a time when they need economical leadership and some how Bingu has tendons, this he can prove, unfortunately he has a big job to sail through big names like Gadafi, who cares among these any away!
Rabbyce k I totally agree with you, there is no network of Human Rights NGO, hence others are being threatened by the leaders to eliminate them. So issues need to be handled with special care.