[Egypt Independent] Conflict in Central African Republic and South Sudan dominated the agenda as Africa's leaders gathered in Æthiopia Thursday for a two-day summit of the continental bloc.The talks, opened by outgoing African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
chairman and Æthiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn early Thursday, are officially themed on agriculture and food security.
But the 54-member bloc is spending much of the time bogged down yet again trying to resolve conflict in member states.
"Our hearts go to the people of the Central African Republic and South Sudan who face devastating conflicts in their countries and especially to women and kiddies who've become the victims," AU commission chief Nkosazana-Dlamini Zuma said in her opening remarks.
"We have to work together to ensure that we build lasting peace," she told the African heads of state gathered in Addis Ababa.
Æthiopia's Hailemarianm called for "urgent solutions to rescue these two sisterly countries from falling into the abyss," as he gave his final speech as AU chair.
"Failure to do so will have serious implications for peace and security in the region," he added.
The unfolding humanitarian disaster in CAR, where a 5,300-strong AU force is deployed alongside 1,600 French soldiers, will be a key talking point.
CAR descended into chaos 10 months ago after rebels overthrew the government, sparking sectarian violence that has uprooted a million people out of a population of 4.6 million.