President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday joined fourteen other members of the Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to discuss the prevention and management of terrorism in the continent especially the Boko Haram insurgents ravaging Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad.
According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the African leaders discussed the persistence of violent conflicts and crisis situations in some parts of the continent and upsurge of Internally Displaced Persons and refugees.
Shehu said the leaders also discussed climate change and its consequences as well as the issue of the derailment of national development programmes.
He said, “The meeting is essentially reviewing the situations in Somalia, South Sudan, Libya, Guinea Bissau, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“It is also discussing the situation in Lake Chad Basin, the regional efforts to combat Boko Haram as well as the situation in Mali and the Sahel region which continues to be a source of deep concern despite efforts by the countries of the region and the United Nations.”
He further explained that the PSC’s major duty is to “conduct early warning and preventive diplomacy, facilitate peace-making, establish peace-support operations and, in certain circumstances, recommend intervention in Member States to promote peace, security and stability.”
Meanwhile, Shehu had told journalists on Friday that Buhari would on Monday inaugurate Africa’s anti-corruption war logo.
He said Buhari was well prepared for the AU summit themed “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation.”
The presidential spokesman said, “The theme for this year’s summit is essentially on corruption. The AU has chosen the theme of winning the fight against corruption as a sustainable launch pad for Africa for African transformation. So, it is important for President Muhammadu Buhari that he has been chosen as the champion for this theme.