International brief ~ US lawmakers to push for Sudan sanctions News
International brief ~ US lawmakers to push for Sudan sanctions

[JURIST] In Monday's international brief, US lawmakers from the House International Relations Subcommittee on Africa [official website] who met with Sudanese government officials and displaced Sudanese refugees in Chad over the weekend are expected to announce that they will urge the US Government to push harder for UN sanctions against Sudan [official website]. Representatives Barbara Lee, Jim McDermott, Diane Watson and Betty McCollum, as well as Subcommittee Chairman Ed Royce [official website] will also recommend that the African Union peacekeeping force be expanded in number and be given a broader mandate requiring the active enforcement of current cease-fire agreements. Sudan recently concluded a peace agreement between the southern autonomous region and the northern and eastern regions, but still has active conflict occurring in the western Darfur region. JURIST's Paper Chase has continuing coverage of Sudan [JURIST country archive]. The Sudan Tribune has local coverage.

In other international legal news…

  • German authorities arrested two individuals suspected of involvement in al-Quaeda and alleged to have planned a suicide attack in Iraq during this weekend's upcoming elections. Prosecutor identified Ibrahim Mohammed K. and Yasser Abu S. as the suspects and are currently awaiting a ruling from a German judge on whether there is enough evidence to hold the men on charges of terrorist acts. Deutsche Welle has local coverage.
  • Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom [official profile] announced Sunday that he expects Maldives to have multiple political parties within a year. The announcement reflects proposed reforms in the Maldives government [official website] that began with Saturday's parliamentary elections, which were delayed by the Indian Ocean Tsunami. Procedural hold-ups at the Hilton Resort polling location on Rangali island will delay the official election results [Haveeru report] until Wednesday of this week. Preliminary results show several pro-democracy candidates opposed to Gayoom winning seats, including on the capital island of Male. JURIST's Paper Chase has background [JURIST Newsburst] on the Maldives election. Maldives' Haveeru has local coverage of the proposed reforms. Read the official Maldives press release on the elections .
  • The African Union [official website] began its Fourth African Union Summit on Monday in Abuja, Nigeria. The Summit was scheduled to start with a meeting of the AU Permanent Council, considering such topics as the threat of terrorism on the African continent, the possible merger of the African Court on Human and People's Rights and the Court of Justice of the African Union, and the recognition and treatment of polio and AIDS in infected areas. Read the draft agenda [official PDF document] of the PCR. The Summit will also include meetings of the AU Secretariat, the Executive Council, and the annual session of the AU Assembly. Read the official AU meeting agenda.
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