ADDIS ABABA: The African Union called on Friday for a regional five-nation force of 7,500 troops to defeat the “horrendous” rise of Nigeria’s Boko Haram militants.

The call for collective action came as leaders of the 54-member bloc opened their two-day annual summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, where they were addressing a string of crises across the continent.

“Terrorism, in particular the brutality of Boko Haram against our people, (is) a threat to our collective safety, security and development. This has now spread to the region beyond Nigeria and requires a collective, effective and decisive response,” AU commission chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said in a speech opening the summit.

Conflicts elsewhere, including civil war in South Sudan and the Central African Republic, as well as a new offensive launched on Thursday by Democratic Republic of Congo against Rwandan ethnic Hutu rebels in the east of the country, are also expected to be discussed.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2015

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