African Union commission Jean Ping said that Mali crisis is one of the most serious situations in the continent. (Reuters)
By AFP, ADDIS ABABA
The current crisis in Mali is
one of the most serious challenges facing the continent, the head of
the African Union commission Jean Ping told a meeting of heads of state
here.
“The situation in Mali is one
of the most serious situations our continent is confronted with,” Ping
said at the opening of a closed door meeting on Mali and on tensions
between Sudan and South Sudan.
“The environment created in
north Mali has become a refuge for terrorist groups... which constitute
a serious threat to regional peace and security and international peace
and security,” Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouatarra, chair of the AU
peace and security council, told the meeting.
Al Qaeda-linked Islamist
fighters took advantage of the chaos following a military coup in the
west African nation to seize key towns in the north. The jihadists have
chased away Tuareg separatist rebels and have enforced strict Islamic
law and destroyed ancient World Heritage sites they consider idolatrous.
Leaders underlined the need to
restore security in the north of Mali and noted that the situation is
further complicated by the absence of interim president Dioncounda
Traore who has been in Paris since May 23 seeking medical treatment.
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