Key decisions made as African Union concludes 24th Summit

The African Union (AU) recently concluded its 24th Summit last weekend, coming on the heels of the successful conclusion of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. The AU summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and was notable for a number of reasons, including the guest appearance of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the appointment of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as its new Chairperson.

Africa resolved to fight Boko Haram as one The most significant decision reached at the summit was the creation of a Multinational Joint Task Force to combat the Boko Haram insurgency in northern Nigeria and Cameroon. Composed of 7,500 soldiers from Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, the Task Force is a serious upgrade that can help Africa’s largest economy defeat its current security threats.

At the summit, Ban Ki-moon welcomed the decision of African Union leaders to collaboratively stop the advancement of the “murderous campaigns” waged by Boko Haram, as he stressed the importance of the continent’s collaboration with the UN, emphasizing that “many lives depend on preventive-diplomacy and peacekeeping.” As he spoke to reporters after the meeting, the UN chief endorsed the AU’s plan to fight the terror group with the establishment of a Multinational Joint Task Force as long as it remained consistent with UN human rights due diligence policies.

“The murderous campaign waged by Boko Haram demands stronger and more coordinated action from us all. Regional and international efforts must focus on protecting communities in northern Nigeria and across borders. More than a million internally displaced people and refugees must be able to return home,” Mr. Ban Ki-moon said.

According to him, collaboration on peace and security is essential to the UN’s partnership with the AU as more than 80 per cent of UN peacekeepers are deployed on the African continent. He revealed that, through the UN-AU partnership, progress has been made in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Mali, Somalia and South Sudan and more could be done by working “even more closely together”.

“Such close partnership has paid off in the fight against the Ebola epidemic. Efforts are paying off and while we are beginning to turn the tide, Ebola is far from over. We must continue to demonstrate the same solidarity until Ebola is gone from every country, and throughout the next phase of recovery,” Mr. Ban added as he acknowledged the role played by the AU in combatting the threat.

Africa’s MDGs achievements impressive Finally, the UN Chief disclosed that Africa has made substantial progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals and can take things to the next level by committing to the new post-2015 development agenda as well as a universal agreement on climate change. However, peace and development go hand-in-hand, therefore it is necessary to ensure peaceful elections in the concerned African countries this year.

Mugabe: The shocking choice made by African leaders In what will come off as shocking to many, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe was elected as Chairman of the AU by a jury union. Reportedly, the veteran president has long aspired to this role, and this adds to his current commitments as President of Zimbabwe and Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

His first public comments after his appointment included the words; “What the West will say or do is not my business. My business is to ensure the decisions we take here are implemented. My concern is on uplifting the life of our people, giving them something that will raise their standard of living.”

“The scourge of terrorism and all its attendant evils threatens all our gains achieved since 1963. In the coming year, therefore we should deliberate and find lasting solutions to the scourge of terrorism, the loss of innocent lives and the destruction of property inflicted by terrorists recently in Cameroon and Nigeria,” he concluded.