Will al-Bashir chair the AU?

This research paper examines the conflict between the African Union's (AU) commitment to democracy and its rotational system for selecting the annual chairmanship, specifically regarding Sudan's claim to the position in 2007. The author argues that appointing Omar al-Bashir, amidst the Darfur crisis, would damage the AU's international credibility and operational effectiveness.

• The African Union's chairmanship is determined by a rotational system among five geographical regions, a process that lacks value-based criteria or basic qualifications for candidates.
• Sudan's claim to the AU chairmanship was deferred in January 2006 to avoid the embarrassment of installing a leader accused of crimes against civilians, but a declaration by the AU Assembly indicated Sudan would assume the role in 2007.
• The potential appointment of Omar al-Bashir is contested due to the ongoing instability in Darfur, reports of the Sudanese government bombing villages, and allegations that al-Bashir has protected war criminals and rearmed the Janjaweed militia.
• There are significant risks associated with al-Bashir taking the chair, including threats from rebels to target AU forces and the perception that a combatant cannot simultaneously serve as a peacekeeper in the same conflict.
• The author suggests that the AU's reliance on geographical rotation is a weakness that can lead to the appointment of problematic regimes, citing the 2003 appointment of Libya to chair the UN's former Human Rights Commission as a precedent for such failure.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2007). Will al-Bashir chair the AU? https://saiia.org.za/research/will-al-bashir-chair-the-au/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Will al-Bashir chair the AU? 2007. https://saiia.org.za/research/will-al-bashir-chair-the-au/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Will al-Bashir chair the AU? |date=26 January 2007 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/will-al-bashir-chair-the-au/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2007will, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Will al-Bashir chair the AU?}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2007}, month = jan, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/will-al-bashir-chair-the-au/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }