V Africa

Published date01 June 1991
Date01 June 1991
DOIhttp://doi.org/10.1177/016934419100900208
Subject MatterPart B: Human Rights News
NQHR
2/1991
V AFRICA'
Human
Rights Developments in Africa: The Banjul Commission, Multi-
Partyism
and
the Battle for Democracy
Although the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights started
functioning in 1987, it sill suffers from a lack of funds, something it shares
in common with several other
OAU
institutions. Besides its 11 members,
professionalstaff is made up solely ofthe Secretary to the Commission, the
Zairean Ngabishema Mutsinzi, the former OAU legal adviser based in
Addis Ababa.
Activities are therefore planned with the aid of other international
organizations. UNESCO is, for instance, helping in organizing a conference
on South Africa and setting
upa
research centre on-southern
Afrtca
as part
of the Commission's documentation department. With its relatively good
facilities, Banjul may develop into the human rights centre of the continent.
Besides the Banjul Commission itself, it houses the African Centre for
Democracy and Human Rights Studies while the African Society of
International and Comparative Law, based in London, is to move to the
Gambian capital shortly.
Despite the publication of several activity reports, there is still little
information on the treatment of complaints. As indicated by the Commis-
sion, the reason lies in the requirement of confidentiality of its decisions
concerning communications, which may only be published with the consent
of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government (Article 59 Charter).
Another problem concerns the periodic reports that State parties must
submit on the legislative and
other
measures taken to give effect to the
rights and freedoms of the Charter (Article 62). Up to now, only Libya has
filed such a report. However, ratifications of the Charter have increased to
40 with the deposition of relevant instruments by Mozambique, Burundi,
Cameroon and Malawi. Only 11 members of the Organization of African
Unity
are
left to ratify: Angola, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Kenya,
Klaas van Walraven. Sources used: African Commission on Human and Peoples's Rights,
2nd Activity Report (June 1989) and 3rdActivity Report (April 1990); West Africa, 11-17
March 1991 and 1-7 April 1991; Jeune Afrique, 27 March-2 April 1991 and 3-9 Apri11991;
Africa Report, January-February 1991; and Africa Events, March 1991.
192

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