South Sudan now says it is exploring alternative routes to transport the commodity using pipelines to international markets after reaching a deadlock with Khartoum, which it accused of exaggerating oil transit fees

The government of South Sudan says it is taking neighbouring north Sudan to court over what Juba describes as the “stealing” of its oil. Minister for oil, Stephen Dhieu Dau, said in an interview with the Sudan Tribune last month that his ministry had filed a lawsuit against Khartoum in “specialised international tribunals.” “We are not leaving it just like that. The Sudanese government must return all they have stolen otherwise we are taking them to court,” minister Dau said. He did not elaborate.

He further said that in December Khartoum started diverting more than 120,000 barrels per day of oil pumped from South Sudan, which says it is keeping the oil in lieu of pipeline transit fees reportedly owed by landlocked South Sudan. Juba announced in January it was stopping all oil production until its oil was returned and a “fair” fee was agreed.

For the African Union Commission to be without a chief executive officer at this point in time when the continent is struggling with several crises is both debilitating and unsettling

The influential African Union Commission (AUC) finds itself without a substantive chairperson as the term of the Gabonese politician and diplomat, Dr Jean Ping, comes to an end and elections to find his replacement fail to produce an outright winner. For the Commission, which is the bureaucratic arm of the African Union, to be without a chief executive officer at this point in time when the continent is facing so many challenges is both debilitating and unsettling.

Ping has been criticised for failing to hammer out a comprehensive solution to the crises facing the continent – both long term and recent. The Somalia imbroglio, the thorny issue of the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants against Sudanese President Omar el Bashir and a reluctance to respond quickly to the crisis in the North Africa have all been blamed on the Commission. The powerful Commission is said to have sat on its hands while Cote d’Ivoire, Libya imploded; Sudan and South Sudan headed dangerously towards fresh confrontation and the Zimbabwean political crisis simmered.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled that four prominent Kenyans, including Deputy Prime Minister, Uhuru Kenyatta, are to stand trial for crimes against humanity and other offences allegedly committed following general elections in late 2007.

The ICC pre-trial chamber confirmed charges against Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance; William Samoei Ruto, former Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology; Francis Kirimi Muthaura, Head of the Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet and Joshua arap Sang, Head of Operations for KASS FM radio station.

With respect to Ruto and Sang, who are charged with crimes against humanity, deportation or forcible transfer and persecution, the pre-trial judges found that “on the basis of the evidence presented, that they are responsible for the charges levied against them,” according to a summary of the pre-trial chamber’s decision.

The African National Congress (ANC) held a successful three-day fete to mark 100 years, signifying the beginning of year-long celebrations. Diplomat East Africa salutes the people of South Africa on the auspicious occassion. Engaging the SA High Commissioner to Kenya, NDUMISO N NTSHINGA, is DEA's CAROL KIIRU

DIPLOMAT EAST AFRICA: African National Congress (ANC) is the oldest party in Africa. What have been the highlights of the party?

NDUMISO NTSHINGA: The party has come a long way over the years given the history behind it. It goes back to the days when the African people fought spear in hand against the colonisers. We have kept the spirit and over the last 80 years brought together millions in the struggle for liberation. We have fought for land, opposed low wages and even rent. We have battled Bantu education and the right to vote not just a government but of our own choice. It is a history about our struggle as South Africans for freedom and justice.

There is a danger in just having women who do not and cannot fight for the rights of their constituencies. They become government mouth pieces and cannot bite the hand that feeds them -DR MIRIAM ATEMBE, former Ugandan minister

“When I first decided to run for parliament, church elders went to talk to my dad. They felt I was an indiscipline child and wondered why my dad was not disciplining me enough. My dad could not prevent me from running for office and I did it and won. In the process, my dad was thrown out of the church leadership”. Those are the sentiments of Gichugu Member of Parliament and Kenyan presidential aspirant, Martha Karua. The statement underlines the lack of equal opportunities for both men and women as they seek political office.

Currently, there is debate in the Kenyan political scene over a constitutional requirement that there shall be no more than two thirds of one gender in both elective and appointive positions. Article 27 of the Constitution in its entirety addresses the issue of equality and freedom from discrimination based on gender. It has been argued that failure to comply with this requirement, especially in elective positions come next general elections, will lead to a constitutional crisis.

EALA, the legislative arm of the EAC has, under its belt, some 40 pieces of legislation which have been enacted during its five-year term that ends in June 2012 By PATRICK WACHIRA AND JUDY KUNYIHA

Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki wants EAC Partner States to fully implement the Common Market Protocol to ensure citizens of the region reap all benefits.
“We should also fast track the transposition of national laws which  contradict  the Common Market spirit to enable its successful implementation”, he said.

Kibaki, the Chairperson of the Summit of EAC Heads of State and President of Kenya, was speaking during the State of EAC Address at the Parliament of Uganda, Kampala, Uganda last month. “Trade in the region has increased from 2$bn in 2005 to 4$bn in 2010, and that the East African people are continuing to expect the benefits of the community. Therefore, we need to hasten the pace of the integration,” President Kibaki remarked.

The United Nations declared an end to famine conditions in Somalia, but warns that the crisis in the Horn of Africa is not over and requires continued efforts to restore food security and help people resume normal lives.

The number of people in need of emergency humanitarian assistance in Somalia has dropped from 4 million to 2.3 million, or 31 per cent of the population, according to a new report by the United Nations and the United States Government. Additionally, 325,000 children are acutely malnourished.“Long-awaited rains, coupled with substantial agricultural inputs and the humanitarian response deployed in the last six months, are the main reasons for this improvement,” José Grazianoda Silva, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said in Nairobi, Kenya, after visiting southern Somalia.