African Union Chooses Kufuor Over Bashir for Chairman

The African Union elected John Kufuor of Ghana as their new Chairperson. Despite all indications that Sudan's Omar al-Bashir would become the new leader of the AU, Kufuor was given the position instead. AU leaders cite the ongoing conflict in Darfur as the reason for this decision.

Darfur, located in the Sudan, is a current hotspot of political strife. Almost half the size of Kenya, Darfur lies on the western side of the Sudan, bordering both Chad to the west and the Central African Republic to the southwest. The Sudanese government is at odds with two groups of Darfur rebels, and the Janjaweed militia, supported by the Sudanese government, has consistently employed tactics recognized by the United Nations as genocide. Despite treaties and UN orders to disarm the militia, the Sudanese government has failed to comply.

Because of its close proximity to Darfur, Chad has seen a good deal of conflict in its own nation as refugees from the Sudan flee into Chad. The government of Chad threatened to leave the African Union if Bashir was elected chairman, citing his backing of Janjaweed militia and direct involvement in the Darfur conflict. The militia has repeatedly entered Chad in pursuit of Darfur refugees, killing villagers, and Chad has called for UN troops to patrol the border for safety reasons. The UN seeks to deploy over 20,000 troops to the region to aid Darfur refugees and put a halt to the violence.

More than 50,000 refugees have entered Chad, and more have fled to the Central African Republic. Long-standing conflict with Sudan has led Chad's President Idriss Deby to call for an anti-Sudanese alliance to end the influx of destabilization.

A lack of firm commitments from Bashir in terms of resolution to the Sudanese conflict led the African Union to appoint Kufuor as Chairperson. Pressure both from within Africa and internationally forced the AU to pick a leader who was not involved directly in a massive conflict.

Kufuor has been the president of Ghana since January of 2001. Previous to his election, he served as a member of Parliament under a variety of different political climates in Ghana. Called "The Gentle Giant" by his constituents, Kufuor has established himself as a strong leader not by charisma or powerful speeches, but because of his calm and quiet nature. This penchant for fairness and desire to hear all parties involved has now led him to yet another political office.