• The African Union summit in Addis Ababa ended in deadlock after the group failed to chose a new chairman for the executive commission. A new election was then scheduled to be held in June or July, though they managed to elect President Boni Yayi of Benin as the new overall chairperson of the AU. The summit witnessed the inauguration of the new headquarters built in Addis Ababa. The summit is also expected to conclude a deal on bolstering trade between African nations. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told African leaders that they must respect gay rights during the opening of the summit meeting. It was reported over the weekend that the AU is turning to China to fill in the funding gap left by the demise of Libyan Moammar Gaddafi, who was the organization’s biggest donor.
• On Saturday, at least 200 young boys were reportedly abducted near Mogadishu, Somalia by alleged al-Qaeda affiliated militants of al-Shabaab; while a director of a media network was gunned down outside his home in Mogadishu, the third director of the network to be killed. On Sunday, at least nine people, including women and children were killed as militants firing vehicle-mounted anti-aircraft guns clashed with AU forces in Mogadishu. On Monday, shells landed on the property of a Red Crescent Society hospital, though thankfully, no one was injured in the attack; while the President of the UN General Assembly held talks with the Deputy PM to discuss the security situation in the country. On Tuesday, an alleged al-Shabaab suicide bomber blew himself up at an Ethiopian army base in central Somalia, killing as many as 33 Ethiopians; and the UN envoy for Somalia formally moved their office back to Mogadishu after a more than 17 year hiatus in neighbouring Kenya. The al-Shabaab rebels ordered the International Committee of the Red Cross out of the areas they control for “falsely” accusing the group of hindering food distribution. On Wednesday, the American Special Forces commandos who killed Osama Bin Laden reportedly rescued two hostages who had been held for three months, killing nine pirates in the process. On Monday, the Nairobi Star reported that two majors and four lieutenants were among 15 Kenya Defence Forces officers killed in the last 100 days since Kenya sent its troops into Somalia.
• President Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire is set to sign a new “defence and security agreement” with France during a trip to Paris this week. The UN envoy to Cote d’Ivoire reported that the security situation in the country is stabilizing, but that the underlying causes of instability and unrest have not been fully addressed. On Sunday, dozens of Gbagbo supporters were reportedly attacked and injured during a rally in Abidjan, after opponents began throwing stones.
• On Sunday, the deputy head of the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) in Libya submitted his resignation in the face of large and angry protests in Benghazi with crowds storming the government office. On Monday, the ICC announced that it had accepted that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi could be tried in Libya instead of at The Hague. Late Monday, hundreds of well-equipped and highly trained Gaddafi loyalists reportedly seized control of the western city of Bani Walid, causing some four deaths. On Tuesday, reporters who visited the town said militias loyal to the NTC were driven out and that town elders were appointing their own local government. On Wednesday, the UN human rights chief reported that detainees from the civil war that are being held by revolutionary brigades continue to be subjected to torture despite efforts by the provisional government to address the issue; while the defense minister reportedly held talks with leaders from the overrun town of Bani Walid. On Thursday, UN officials issued a warning over the activities of militias and people being held in detention centres, while Doctors Without Borders announced it had stopped work in detention centres in the city of Misrata because it alleged some patients were being brought in for care between torture sessions, a claim the Libyan government vehemently rejected. On Sunday, the government announced it would be reassessing its ambassadors worldwide and dismiss any who had ties with ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi; while the PM called for a regional security conference to tackle proliferation of weapons by exiled Gaddafi supporters that could have possibly wound up in the hands of Boko Haram or al-Qaeda.
• The International Criminal Court (ICC) ordered four prominent figures in Kenya, including two potential Presidential candidates, to stand trial for allegedly orchestrating violence that killed more than 1,000 people after the disputed 2007 Presidential elections. The government announced that the deputy PM and civil service head that are to stand trial will not have to resign from their positions, though both resigned from their posts on Thursday. On Friday, the UN refugee agency announced new strategies to ensure uninterrupted assistance and services in its largest complex in Kenya, including training and mentoring of refugees; the electoral commission announced that it will switch to an electronic register of voters to help curb ballot-rigging; militias in the north clashed over grazing rights, killing at least 21 people; and police blamed Ethiopian rebel movements for clashes that killed some seven people. On Monday, a Kenyan court charged a former Muslim preacher with possessing guns and hand grenades and preparing to commit a felony, which family members allege were falsely planted by police.
• The government of Sudan announced on Sunday that it will continue to allow only limited access to UN agencies and aid groups in the warring South Kordofan and Blue Niles states. On Monday, the UN stressed that the best way to protect civilians in South Sudan’s Jonglei state is through military deterrence urging the government to deploy more troops and pol...

[continued at http://apeaceofconflict.com/2012/02/01/this-week-in-african-conflic...]