South African President Thabo Mbeki has ended his mediation role in Côte d’Ivoire’s political crisis and a regional body recommended that the heads of the African Union and a West African body replace him.
”President Mbeki’s mediation role in Cote d’Ivoire has ended upon his own request,” African Union chairperson Denis Sassou Nguesso said late on Tuesday.
Ivorian rebels had accused Mbeki of being biased and demanded the AU name a new mediator. The world’s top cocoa grower has been split into a rebel-held north and government-controlled south since a brief 2002/2003 civil war.
A summit of African leaders at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa recommended extending Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo’s term by another 12 months on Tuesday, backing a West African proposal to revive a stalled peace process.
African leaders praised the South African president, whose country has taken a lead role in mediating in African conflicts.
A report distributed at the summit said members of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) had recommended to the African Union that the heads of the AU and Ecowas should now lead mediation efforts in Côte d’Ivoire.
Ecowas is headed by Niger President Mamadou Tandja. – Reuters