Africa still facing major security challenges

ADDIS ABABA, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Africa is still facing major security challenges including religious extremism, human trafficking and uncontrolled migration, experts and officials have warned.

"Peace and security remain the major challenge to Africa," said Olusegun Akinsanya, director of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Addis Ababa, calling for a "zero tolerance" policy against violence.

"We need imaginative approaches for those persistent conflicts," he said on the sidelines of the African Union (AU)'s Commemorative Summit Saturday. "We need to manage natural resources effectively and transparently, and deal with ethnic divisions wisely."

During a two-day special summit celebrating the AU's 50th anniversary, African leaders gathered here to explore new mechanism to handle persistent conflicts across the continent.

Zambia's founding president Kenneth Kaunda, who attended the summit, said despite progress made in several fields in Africa, challenges of dealing with conflict remain.

"The internal and inter-state wars have been a challenge. Some countries have been in conflict for more than 50 years," Kaunda said in his address.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta linked the conflicts currently troubling Africa to the effects of colonialism and the colonial legacy. He said efforts by successive African governments to restore stability still suffered setbacks.

At an Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) meeting a day before the summit, East African leaders agreed to intensify their efforts to deliver peace in Somalia.

The meeting followed several months of tension between the federal government and the regional administration in southern Somalia.

IGAD Executive Secretary Mahboub Maalim said efforts to restore stability in Somalia are critical for the entire East African region.

"The peace and security situation in Somalia is linked to the entire peace architecture in East Africa. IGAD is still engaged in this matter. We are encouraging the Somali government to use all means to fight the Islamist Al Shabaab militants," Maalim told Xinhua.

We recommend:
Aftermath of Oklahoma tornado	Divers get close with marine animals	200 couples attend group wedding ceremony in Yemen
Hot air balloon collision leaves 2 dead	Commemoration held for people died of HIV	Brooklyn Bridge to celebrate 130th birthday