Ethiopia: AU to support Great Lakes peace

  1. Posted on Wednesday 3 February 2010 - 10:40
    Sanday
    Image of Sanday
    Sanday Chongo Kabange AfricaNews reporter in Lusaka, Zambia
    For several years, countries around the Great Lakes region have been under the gush of civil conflicts that have left tens of thousands of people homeless or displaced as refugees. The instability in the region has been centered on countries such as DRC, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo Brazzaville and the Central African Republic.
    africa map
    It is for this reason that the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGRL) has posted an appeal to the African Union, asking the continental body to assist in finding a lasting solution to the sporadic instability that has shrouded the region for decades.

    ICGRL chairperson, Rupiah Banda has told a gathering of the region’s heads of state and governments that over the past three years that the ICGLR has existed, progress had been recorded towards ensuring lasting peace and security in the region.

    Banda, who is also the Zambian leader, said there was need for the African Union to grant the ICGLR special status during its meetings in order to benefit from its contributions towards peace and security.

    “Over the last three years of its existence, the ICGLR has recorded some notable success in the desire to make the Great Lakes region an area of peace and stability. For this reason, I would like to urge the African Union Commission to recognize the ICGLR as a partner in the implementation of the Tripoli Declaration as well as other African Union activities related to peace, security and development in the Great Lakes region,” said Banda.

    During the opening of the annual summit of the African Union, United Nations secretary general Ban Ki Moon castigated the continental grouping over what he terms as ignoring the shelling in the Sudanese region of Dafur and Somalia.

    Meanwhile Banda also called for peaceful and democratic elections among member countries of the Great Lakes region headed for the vote later in the year.

    Banda said: “As you are aware, many of our member states including Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Central African Republic, Sudan and others will be undergoing elections. This will be a test of the democratic process in the Great Lakes region. In the spirit of the pact on security, stability and development, I wish these countries successful and peaceful elections”.

Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Liberia commends ECOWAS for support14/05The induction training of pioneer Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Volunteers for Liberia kicked off in Monrovia, with the Deputy Mi…
  11. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  12. Heavy rains cause havoc in Kenya14/05Heavy Rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country leading to the suspension of relief food in some parts of the country as most roads in Turk…
  13. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  14. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  15. Zimbabwe: Resettled farmers fail to utilize…10/05Resettled farmers in Zimbabwe are failing to utilize land due to inadequate farming inputs and lack of resources.
News archive