Big demos to hit AU Summit

While Ghana prepares to host 52 Heads of State of Africa from July 1-3, 2007 for the Ninth Ordinary Summit of the African Union, a number of pressure groups and individuals are also preparing to organize massive demonstrations that could possibly mar an otherwise grand and historic event in the life of the continent.

The Independent says the planned demonstrations will be organised over three main issues; the Darfur crises, the political turmoil and economic crisis in Zimbabwe and the killing of some 44 Ghanaians in the Gambia.

A number of human rights activists and non-governmental organizations are going to lead the demonstrators, who have started converging in Accra from different parts of Africa.

The Independent says its sources close to the organisers of the mass demonstrations say they are awaiting more numbers and they are going to beat the streets till the AU Summit hears what they have to say.

They said they would go to the farthest ends to bring the human rights violation across the continent to the leaders who will be here.

The sources said, the situation in the Darfur is appalling and the intransigence of Khartoum is worsening it. The least said about President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe the better, the paper quotes one source, and added that President Mugabe has turned himself into a block that is not doing anything to relieve the people of their plight.

Turning the radars on Gambia another source pointed out that there must put the killing of some 50 Ghanaians in the Gambia on the table for the African leaders to look at.

The paper said, having picked up those signals, the security agencies in the country are on high alert to avert possible disruption to the African Union (AU) Summit.

On Wednesday, machine gun-wielding policemen could be seen on the streets within two mile radius of the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) where the summit is expected to take place.

The armed security personnel subject people entering the conference centre to thorough search and interrogations. A number of plain clothes security personnel have also been deplored at the conference centre and areas close to the AICC.

Areas besieged by the security personnel include Osu, Ridge, and the Ring Road Central.

The paper said a number of organisations planning to organise the demonstrations have received funding from Europe and the United States of America. Others have also received funding from opposition parties in some African countries.

A leading Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative has indicated its readiness to protest against Gambia President Yahaya Jammeh’s attending of the Summit for the killing of 44 Ghanaian immigrants by Gambian security forces.