AU and African journalists urged to work together on curbing the continent’s crises

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

February 2, 2011 (ADDIS ABABA) – President of Journalists For African Renaissance (JAR), Muha Daahir Farah, has called on the African Union (AU) and people working in Africa media to promote peace, security, democracy, good governance and development in the continent.

“Africa is making rapid political, social and economic advances,” said Farah, speaking to Walta information Center, a pro-government news agency in the Ethiopian capital, adding “we, African journalists, must work to promote these values by informing the public.”

She also urged journalists to be aware of the continent’s current social, political and economic obstacles and expose them with a view to finding solutions.

JAR was founded by journalists from Somaliland, Kenya, Botswana, Sudan, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia in January 2009, with a view to assisting the AU in creating early warning systems for political crises in Africa.

Discussions focused on the growing concerns of peace, security and stability of the African continent – which were top priorities at the 16th AU summit which was concluded on 31 January in Addis Ababa.

The summit, held under theme Towards Greater Unity and Integration through Shared Values looked into the political crisis in Cote d’Ivoire, the ongoing unrest in Egypt and Tunis, the post-referendum development in Sudan as well as the situation in Somalia.

(ST)