President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday promised that despite the economic downturn being experienced in the
country, Nigeria would continue to fulfill its financial obligation to the African Union, particularly for operations aimed at ensuring durable peace, stability and security on the continent.
According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President spoke while receiving the AU Envoy on the Peace Fund, Dr. Donald Kaberuka, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Buhari said supporting peace operations, under the auspices of the AU, in several countries affected by conflict, remained a foreign policy priority for his administration.
Despite competing priorities on security and the economic downturn in the country, the President assured the AU envoy that Nigeria would also play a central role in seeking the European Union and the United Nations to strengthen their support for crisis-prone African countries.
The President used the occasion of the visit of the AU envoy to weigh in on the situation in South-Sudan and appeal for peace and calm in the country.
He said, “What is happening in South Sudan is extremely disturbing and it is a very dicey situation.
“The AU leadership has a crucial role to play in stabilising the country and other African countries on the brink.
“What we can do urgently to stabilise South-Sudan is very important as African leaders meet in Kigali, Rwanda, this month and later in September at the UN.”
In his remarks, Kaberuka said funding AU-led peace support operations, which had remained a challenge for member-countries, was further compounded early this year by the cut in EU’s allocation to the AU Mission in Somalia by 20 per cent.
Kaberuka explained that the AU summit in Kigali was expected to agree on a roadmap of alternative financing for AU-led peace support operations, including a proposal for African nations to fund 25 per cent of the Fund’s budget while UN contributes the balance.
All Credits:PUNCH
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