The African leaders adopted the "Tripoli Declaration" and a plan of action to find urgent solutions to crises and conflicts in Africa, but they failed to submit any substantial proposals to resolve the conflicts during the summit, the third for the AU this year.
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Delegates attend the special summit of African Union (AU) in Tripoli, capital of Libya, Aug. 31, 2009. Heads of state and government of the 53-nation African Union (AU) kicked off a special summit in Libya on Monday to tackle regional conflicts, especially situations in Somalia, Sudan's Darfur and the Great Lakes region. |
The action plan urged African member states who have pledged to contribute to the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia to honor their promises "rapidly."
On Monday, AU Commission Chairman Jean Ping told reporters before the opening of the one-day summit that three African countries, namely Sierre Leone, Malawi and Nigeria, had agreed to contribute forces to reinforce the peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
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Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi attends the special summit of African Union (AU) in Tripoli, capital of Libya, Aug. 31, 2009. Heads of state and government of the 53-nation African Union (AU) kicked off a special summit in Libya on Monday to tackle regional conflicts, especially situations in Somalia, Sudan's Darfur and the Great Lakes region. |
Uganda and Burundi are the only countries that have deployed 4,300 out of the proposed 8,000 peacekeepers in Somalia under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
The African leaders also called for an international conference on the rising piracy off the Somali coast.
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Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir attends a special AU Summit held in Tripoli, capital of Libya, Aug. 31, 2009. |
It is AU's second summit in two months. The 53-member organization normally holds two summits a year.
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Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete attends a special AU Summit held in Tripoli, capital of Libya, Aug. 31, 2009. |
The AU, established in 2002 to replace the Organization of African Unity that was founded in 1963, aims at preserving and promoting peace and stability in the African continent, carrying out the strategy of reform and poverty reduction and realizing the development and renewal of Africa.