News Highlights: Port dispute Somaliland, Sarkozy accused of receiving funds from Gadhafi, EU-ACP talks for Post-Cotonou

In this week’s news highlights: Many arrested afterupheavals in Eritrea following death of respected elder; Port dispute between Somaliland and Somalia may cause conflict, Somaliland minister warns; Eritrea accused by Ethiopia over security destabilization; Amnesty International protestsSouth Sudanese men sentenced to death; Former French President Sarkozy faces accusations of illegal campaign funding from Gadhafi; Talks between EU and ACP on Post-Cotonou agreement; EU to provide further training to Libyan coastguard; Human Rights Watch says Libya is not ready for elections.

Post-Cotonou Agreement: the EU should not downgrade the ACP, African officials urge

Yesterday, 20 March, the Development Committee (DEVE) of the European Parliament (EP) held a public hearing regarding the negotiations between the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states and the European Union (EU) for a new comprehensive agreement that will manage their relationship after the Cotonou Agreement expires in 2020. According to the two parties,the post-Cotonou Agreement will have to address the possible gaps of the already existing document and it is expected to renew the relationship between the signatories. However, the exchange showed that the relationship of the two is fragmented, with the EU seeming optimistic and the African Union (AU) feeling left out.

Libya-discussions in the European Parliament highlight key issues

The key players believe that the core difficulty in shaping policy on Libya is the division between the structure of the Libyan Political Agreement and the external issues the country is facing, as well as the geopolitical interests of the various groups involved and (human) trafficking. However, the European Parliament makes an important addition to the discussion regarding security.