AU leaders wrap up special summit on regional conflicts in Libya

2009-09-01 06:52:22  

    CAIRO, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) --

Leaders of the African Union (AU) wrapped up a special summit in Libya on Monday which was aimed to tackle regional conflicts, especially situations in Somalia, Sudan's Darfur and the Great Lakes region.

    The African leaders adopted the "Tripoli Declaration" and a plan of action to find urgent solutions to crises and conflicts in Africa, but they failed to submit any substantial proposals to resolve the conflicts during the summit, the third for the AU this year.

    The African countries approved Libya's proposal to make resolving the conflicts of Africa one of the regular topics of the AU summits of heads of state and government, the final document was quoted as saying by local media.

    The action plan urged African member states who have pledged to contribute to the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia to honor their promises "rapidly."

    On Monday, AU Commission Chairman Jean Ping told reporters before the opening of the one-day summit that three African countries, namely Sierre Leone, Malawi and Nigeria, had agreed to contribute forces to reinforce the peacekeeping mission in Somalia.

    The transitional government of Somalia declared a state of emergency in the country in June, and appealed to its neighbors to send military forces to help it quell Islamist insurgency.

    Uganda and Burundi are the only countries that have deployed 4,300 out of the proposed 8,000 peacekeepers in Somalia under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

    The African leaders also called for an international conference on the rising piracy off the Somali coast.

    About 30 African leaders attended the special summit held on the eve of celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the Libyan Revolution, which brought Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi to power after overthrowing Western-backed King Idriss on Sept. 1, 1969.

    It is AU's second summit in two months. The 53-member organization normally holds two summits a year.

    At its 13th summit held in Libya's Sirte city in July, the AU accepted its current chairman Ghaddafi's proposal to hold a special session on the consideration and resolution of conflicts in Africa.

    The AU, established in 2002 to replace the Organization of African Unity that was founded in 1963, aims at preserving and promoting peace and stability in the African continent, carrying out the strategy of reform and poverty reduction and realizing the development and renewal of Africa. 

African special summit says state of war in Sudan's Darfur over

2009-09-01 07:21:28  

    KHARTOUM, Aug. 31 (Xinhua)--

A special summit of the African Union (AU) on resolution of conflicts in Africa said on Monday that the state of war in the restive western Sudanese region of Darfur was over.

    The Tripoli Declaration issued at the end of the summit indicated that only criminal acts of some outlaws were taking place in Darfur at the present time, according to a report of the state-run SUNA news agency.

    The declaration called for intensifying efforts to push ahead the political peace process in Darfur toward reaching stability and peace.

    It appreciated the efforts of the joint representative of the United Nations and the African Union for Darfur, Rodolphe Adada, in reaching a comprehensive settlement in Darfur.

    The conflict in Darfur ignited in 2003 when ethnic rebels took up arms against Sudanese forces. The war has left around 300,000 dead and 2.7 million displaced, according to UN figures. Khartoum insisted that only 10,000 died in the conflict.

    The declaration reiterated the African leaders' refusal to deal with the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in March this year.

    Al-Bashir showed up at the one-day summit, on his second visit to Libya since the arrest warrant issued against him for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    Affirming the importance of rehabilitation of the conflict-hit areas in Africa, the declaration announced that the year 2010 would be dedicated to peace and security on the world's poorest continent.

    The Tripoli Declaration also asserted the African leaders' rejection to the unconstitutional changes of governments in Africa, and pledged to adopt preventive measures to combat this phenomenon.

    About 30 African leaders attended the special summit held on the eve of celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the Libyan Revolution, which brought Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi to power in September 1969.

Editor: Lin Zhi