AFRICA: Congo-Brazzaville was named yesterday as the new head of the African Union (AU) after officials managed to broker a deal to avoid Sudan assuming the presidency of a body committed to furthering peace and democracy on the continent.
Human rights campaigners warned that the union would lose credibility if the Sudanese government, whose troops are accused of atrocities in Darfur, took over the year-long post at this week's AU summit in Khartoum.
Sudan had put its name forward with support from other east and north African states. By convention, the summit's host takes up the presidency. But yesterday Sudanese ministers agreed to step aside in return for assuming the presidency in 2007.
David Mozersky, Sudan analyst with the International Crisis Group, said the compromise had let the AU off the hook.
"I think in the short term it is a smart deal and certainly as an organisation it avoids the obvious downsides of Sudan having the chairmanship," he said.
"It is up to Sudan now to put its house in order so that we don't end up having the same debate next year."
The US has accused Omar el-Bashir's Sudanese government of genocide in Darfur, where the United Nations says 180,000 people have died in three years. A further two million have been forced to flee their homes.
Almost 7,000 AU troops are monitoring an often-ignored ceasefire in the region. As a result several African nations were concerned that Mr el-Bashir, who seized power in a 1989 coup, would face a conflict of interests. They also feared he would be unable to work with western donors.
Sudanese rebels warned that they would withdraw from peace talks mediated by the AU.
This week five AU members, including the current president of Nigeria, urged Mr el-Bashir to stand aside for the good of the 53-member organisation.
Instead a seven-nation committee brokered a deal that handed the presidency to President Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville.
However, Mr el-Bashir still has work to do if he is to make a suitable AU president in 2007, according to Reed Brody, special counsel to Human Rights Watch.
"If Sudan's record of atrocities makes it unsuitable to lead Africa this year, it's hard to see how el-Bashir will be the best leader to make Africa's case to the world next year," he said.
Deng Alor, minister of cabinet affairs in Sudan's coalition government, said Khartoum was aware of its responsibilities.