AU summit to discuss Chad-Sudan conflicts: official
Jan 11, 2006 (LUSAKA) — The forthcoming African Union (AU) summit will discuss conflicts between Chad and Sudan in the Darfur region and the chaos in Somalia, AU Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare said here Wednesday.
In his private talks with Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, Konare briefed the president on the agenda of the summit to be held in Sudanese capital Khartoum later this month.
After the talks Konare said he came to seek advise and guidance on the issues, adding that it is important that the conflicts among African countries are resolved immediately and the union would foster peace and harmony in the region.
Chad has accused neighboring Sudan of sheltering and backing Chadian rebels in its violent Darfur region and the dispute is adding to insecurity in the area.
Konare said the union has however made huge progress in resolving political conflicts on the African continent.
He expressed happiness at the peace prevailing in Angola and Sierra Leone, and the improvement towards the attainment of peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Konare emphasized the need for more solidarity and integration among African countries, calling for settlement of the issues of migrants and the free movement of people on the continent.
Konare said that Africa is objecting to the demand to try former Chadian president Hissein Habre, who has been arrested by Senegal.
He said Africa should now assume a responsibility of solving its own problems and object to sending its former leaders for trial in another continent.
“Africans should now learn how to shoulder their own responsibilities,” he said.
The AU Commission chief said that the subject of sending Habre for trial is a difficult subject, which needs a careful approach by African countries during the AU summit to be held on January 23-24.
(Xinhua)