Senegal break ranks and endorses Ravalomanana

Madagascar may well turn out to be the first real diplomatic challenge for the African Union (AU) following a decision by Senegal on Thursday to formally recognise Marc Ravalomanana as president of the island state. In a letter to Ravalomanana, Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade pledged to work "rapidly to return the island nation to the African fold", local media reported. While much of the international community, notably France - the former colonial power - and the United States, Britain and China, have formally endorsed Ravalomanana's government, African leaders have been reluctant. At the launch of the AU in South Africa last week, African leaders upheld a decision to exclude the country from the Union, saying that Ravalomanana's win had not been "legally constituted" and called for fresh elections. African heads of state said they would not be guided by the West's decisions but by fundamental AU principles, despite endorsemnet by Madagascar's High Court of Ravalomanana's December election victory. Analysts said that Wade's decision to break ranks with the AU was significant as it provided an opportunity for debate. Some critics have claimed that despite the well-intentioned plan to unite Africa under a new and reinvigorated pan-African body, some aspects of Union affairs needed further tweaking. "This is an early but important challenge for the AU," senior researcher at the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes, Kwezi Mngqibisa, told IRIN. "The challenge to the collective standpoint has also come from a major player in African politics who has been at the forefront in the formulation of both the AU and NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development). But the main challenge here is how do African states harmonise the divergence of foreign policy." Mngqibisi added that Senegal's endorsement of Ravalomanana's government would not be ignored and showed that within the Union there were real differences. Since the start of the political crisis eight months ago, Wade along with President Omar Bongo of Gabon, has attempted to resolve the political impasse between Ravalomanana and former president Didier Ratsiraka. The last attempt failed after Ratsiraka refused to accept the results of a High Court decision which ruled that Ravalomanana had won the 16 December presidential poll. Despite objections from Wade, the AU refused to let Ravalomanana attend its inaugural session in Durban on 8 July. Observers said that South Africa, as the new and first chair of the AU, would now be expected to intervene in the ongoing power struggle on the Indian Ocean island. South African President Thabo Mbeki backed fellow Union members at the closing of the summit, saying that the decision to freeze Madagascar's AU seat was a "matter of principle that was decided on its merits rather than what the rest of the world was doing". Less than a week after the United States expressed interest in working with Ravalomanana, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin arrived in Antananarivo and signed four bilateral agreements. France, a long time ally of Ratsiraka, had been reluctant to endorse Ravalomanana. Political analyst at the University of Madagascar, Desire Ramakavelo said: "I am sure that Wade's support is well-meant, however, it is important to note that Senegal is part of the French brigade. We can expect a tussle between the Americans and the French over who will command the most influence on the island. For both of these countries, it is about economics and not about developing democratic principles or good governance." Meanwhile, as Ravalomanana aims to consolidate power and reunite the country, reports out of Antananrivo alleged that arbitrary arrests and retribution were underway. News reports said General Jean Jacques Rasolondraibe, Ratsiraka's former interior minister, and Samuel Lahady, the former governor of Ratsiraka's home province of Toamasina were under arrest. In the past two weeks, dozens of Ratsiraka loyalists have been rounded up, accused of stirring ethnic tensions, manning illegal roadblocks, or terrorising the local population.