The African Union Commission on Monday, January 26, 2015 beckoned on all African countries to rally round to tackle the threat of Boko Haram insurgency and human trafficking.
Chairperson of the commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, made the call while addressing the 26th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU), made up of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of AU member States.
She said: “I am deeply horrified by the tragedy Boko Haram continues to inflict on our people,” she said, telling members of the Executive Council “we should all declare this state of affairs as unacceptable.”
While acknowledging the efforts of Chad in assisting Cameroon and other countries in the fight against the insurgent group Dlamini-Zuma said: “this, however, is not just a threat to some countries. It is a threat to the whole continent. It is a global threat that must be met globally, but with Africa in the lead.”
Zuma went on to talk about the need to empower the African youth, stating that the council is currently drumming up measures based in AU recommendations to bolster education, science, technology amongst others.
“The youth have said to us that one of their biggest handicaps is access to start-up capital, and internet services across. We must do more and better for African youth.
“These measures, aimed at giving our young people a stake in their countries and continent, are the surest way of tackling the problem of African youth migration and trafficking and them falling prey to extremism,” she said.
The outcome of deliberations will be presented for adoption at the 24th Ordinary Assembly of the Heads of State and Government, which will hold 0n Friday, January 30, 2015 and Saturday, January 31, 2015.
