Mkapa, Mbeki, Mohamud meet in Dar for peace discussions
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A comprehensive report from the discussion will be forwarded to the AU Secretariat in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as the forum’s contribution to the organization’s efforts to drive the peace and security standing across the African continent.
Dar es Salaam. The collaboration between African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) Security Council would be the key driver in addressing peace and security challenges in some African countries, former African presidents have advised.
These views were shared by the African Leadership Forum that met in Dar es Salaam on Friday themed: ‘Africa in the Global Peace and Security Architecture’, organized by Uongozi Institute. Convened by former President Benjamin Mkapa and attended by former Presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia as well as participants from regional and international organizations, the event was a continuation of another event that was held in Johannesburg, South Africa in August, 2017.
In alignment with the 2017 forum, this year's event focused on the specific conflicts of the Federal Republic of Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as cases to provide practical lessons and the context for the event's recommendations.
Commenting on the forum’s recommendations, Mr Mkapa during a press conference urged the AU to streamline and increase cooperation with the UN peace and security structures.
“The collaboration between AU and UN security council is essential to address key peace and security challenges in African countries by learning UN’s experience,” he said.
At the same occasion, Mr Mbeki admitted that despite efforts made by AU, peace and security challenges were still a concern in the continent.
“We have chosen Somalia and DRC as cases to learn from because these countries have experienced regular peace and security challenges. Because we were limited in time, we could not involve other countries in the discussion,” he said.
This year’s forum, among others, also encouraged Africa's leaders and the AU to strengthening the continent's institutions tasked with peace and security matters.
A comprehensive report from the discussion will be forwarded to the AU Secretariat in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as the forum’s contribution to the organization’s efforts to drive the peace and security standing across the African continent.
