"Fifty-one African leaders have been invited to next month's summit, every
leader on the continent except Sudan's Omar al-Bashir, Eritrea's Isaias
Afwerki, and Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe"
http://www.voanews.com/content/us-says-african-leaders-should-honor-constitutional-term-limits/1954274.html
US: African Leaders Should Honor Constitutional Term Limits
Scott Stearns
July 09, 2014 3:27 PM
STATE DEPARTMENT --
The Obama administration says African leaders should honor constitutional
term limits.
The U.S. assistant secretary of state for African Affairs, Linda
Thomas-Greenfield, said President Barack Obama's call for strong
institutions in Africa includes respecting limits on power.
"If constitutions call for term limits, then those term limits need to be
honored. And we have been very clear in discouraging African leaders from
making changes in their constitution that will benefit one person, one
party, to allow that person to stay in power longer than the constitution
intended for them to stay in power."
Taking questions from reporters Wednesday, before next month's African
leaders summit in Washington, Thomas-Greenfield was asked about prospects
that Burkina Faso President Blaise Compare and Democratic Republic of Congo
President Joseph Kabila might change their constitutions to run again.
*Upcoming summit*
The diplomat said "there is absolutely no confusion" about Washington's
position on rolling back term limits. She said the administration has made
its views on the subject known "to all of the leaders where there are
attempts to make changes in the constitution."
Fifty-one African leaders have been invited to next month's summit, every
leader on the continent except Sudan's Omar al-Bashir, Eritrea's Isaias
Afwerki, and Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe.
Thomas-Greenfield said the summit will include talks on combating threats
from the al-Qaida-linked groups al-Shabab and al-Qaida in the Islamic
Maghreb, as well as the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram. U.S. officials
are in Nigeria to help in the hunt for young women kidnapped by the group,
which is blamed for thousands of deaths in recent years.
"It is still an ongoing battle. Our ultimate goal is to stop Boko Haram, to
stop the kidnappings and to bring the girls home as well as others who have
been kidnapped by Boko Haram."
Thomas-Greenfield also called for rival factions in South Sudan to honor
the terms of a ceasefire, and prevent what she calls a "man-made famine"
because farmers can not get to their fields.
Received on Thu Jul 10 2014 - 09:39:30 EDT