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African Law of Coups and the Situation in Eritrea: A Test for the African Union's Commitment to Democracy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 September 2010

Simon M Weldehaimanot
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Abstract

This article contends that the severely repressive manner in which Eritrea has been governed in the last ten years violates the right of the Eritrean people to democratic governance. In particular, the refusal of the transitional Government of Eritrea (GoE) to end its transitional tenure in utter defiance of its own promises, transitional laws and the Constitution of Eritrea fits the definition of unconstitutional change of government proscribed by the African Union (AU). This article calls upon the AU's Peace and Security Council to urge the GoE expeditiously to establish democratic governance in accordance with regional, international and Eritrea's own legal standards. Should this demand fall upon deaf ears, this article calls for the AU to impose sanctions on the GoE.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of African Law , Volume 54 , Issue 2 , October 2010 , pp. 232 - 257
Copyright
Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies 2010

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References

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36 Weldehaimanot “The status and fate of the Eritrean Constitution”, above at note 34.

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46 See arts 32(8) and 41(2)(3) of the Constitution, reprinted in “Constitution of Eritrea” (1999) 24 North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation 521.

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65 Ibid.

66 Declaration on the Framework for an OAU Response to Unconstitutional Changes of Government: AHG/Decl.5 (xxxvi) 2000 (Lomé Declaration).

67 Adopted by the eighth ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of States and Governments, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 30 January 2007.

68 Eritrea became the 183rd member of the United Nations.

69 Udombana “Can the leopard change its spots?” above at note 61 at 1248.

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75 Comm 102/93: Constitutional Rights Project and Civil Liberties Organisation v Nigeria (ACHPR, 12th annual activity report, 1998/99) at para 52.

76 Udombana “Can the leopard change its spots?”, above at note 61 at 1254.

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79 Udombana “Can the leopard change its spots?”, above at note 61 at 1264.

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81 Id at 789.

82 Id at 790–91. For the AU's recent reaction to the resurgence of coups on the continent, see “Resurgence of coups d'état in Africa” (UN Security Council report no 3, 15 April 2009), available at: <http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/site/c.glKWLeMTIsG/b.5106497/k.50F7/Update_Report_No_3BRThe_Resurgence_of_Coups_d201tat_in_AfricaBR15_April_2009.htm> (last accessed 20 August 2009).

83 Levitt “Pro-democratic intervention in Africa”, above at note 60 at 788.

84 Id at 790–91.

85 Ibid.

86 See for example Ezetah “The right to democracy”, above at note 58 at 529–34, codifying the right to democratic governance into nine articles.

87 See, for example, UN doc E/CN.4/RES/1999/57 (1999).

88 Comms no 147/95 and 149/96: Dawda Jawara v The Gambia (ACHPR 13th annual activity report, 2000).

89 The last two paras of the preamble of the Charter on Democracy, adopted by the eighth ordinary session of the AU Assembly, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 30 January 2007.

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97 Protocol on Amendments to the Constitutive Act of the AU, adopted by the first extraordinary session of the AU Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 3 February 2003 and by the second ordinary session of the AU Assembly in Maputo, Mozambique on 11 July 2003.

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102 From the 32 main AU treaties listed on the AU website, Eritrea has ratified only five.

103 Done at Vienna on 23 May 1969; entered into force 27 January 1980.

104 See art 2(1) of the Vienna Convention for a definition of terms.

105 Id, art 36 (emphasis added).

106 See communiqué of the 140th meeting of the PSC: PSC/HSG/Comm (CXL).

107 Id, para 2.

108 “Sanctions put on Mauritania junta” (6 February 2009) BBC News, available at: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7874066.stm> (last accessed 27 December 2009).

109 “African Union defies Gaddafi, maintains sanctions on Mauritania” (25 March 2009) International News 24/7, available at: <http://www.france24.com/en/20090325-african-union-defies-gaddafi-maintains-sanctions-mauritania-> (last accessed 27 December 2009).

110 Lomé Declaration, above at note 66.

111 Above at note 44.

112 Lomé Declaration, above at note 66, preamble and para 3.

113 See NEPAD “The New Partnership for Africa's Development” (NEPAD framework document), para 71, available at: <http://www.nepad.org/home/lang/en> (last accessed 18 June 2010).

114 Udombana “Can the leopard change its spots?”, above at note 61 at 1217.

115 See the decisions and declarations adopted by the AU Assembly at the 13th ordinary session held on 1–3 July 2009, Sirte, Libya: Assembly/AU/Dec. 243–267 (XIII) rev1 and Assembly/AU/Decl.1–5(XIII).

116 UN Security Council res 1907 (2009): S/RES/1907 (2009), adopted by the Security Council at its 6,254th meeting on 23 December 2009.

117 Awate team “UNSC sanctions: Targeted and well deserved” (26 December 2009), available at: <http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/5422/2/> (last accessed 27 December 2009).

118 UN Security Council res 1907, above at note 116, paras 10 and 13.