Zuma to lead delegation to African Union Summit
June 23, 2014, 5:39 am

African Union Misca forces from Cameroon carry a wounded man as angry youth set up barricades throughout the town, Thursday May 29, 2014 in Bangui, Central African Republic [AP]

Peace and security in Africa is expected to be on the top of the agenda of discussions after a terror attack in Kenya last week heightened worries in other African states such as Nigeria, which is battling the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency.

The South African President has pressed for an African Stand by Force to tackle security challenges in the continent especially in the light of the attacks in Kenya last week. Zuma stressed on “the need to find African solutions to our problems and the need to combat forces that can compromise African independence in the continent”.

“As the African Union meets next week we will certainly fight for Africa to create stronger institutions to solve its security problems in particular, for example an African Stand by Force,” he told the National Assembly on Friday.

Somali-linked Islamists killed at least 70 people in a Kenyan coastal town last week, one of the biggest assaults since Al- Shabaab gunmen attacked Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall in September, leaving 67 dead.

Zuma will be accompanied by several ministers, including Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana- Mashabane and Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the South African Presidency said.

The summit is scheduled for June 25-27 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

It is expected that the summit will consider, amongst other issues, the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) projects, the African Peer Review Mechanism, the African Common Position on the Post 2015 Development Agenda as well as the report of the Committee of African Heads of States and Government on Climate Change.

The AU Summit will also deliberate on the finalisation of the Agenda 2063 Continental Framework, as part of the vision of Africa in the next 50 years.

TBP and Agencies