President Muhammadu Buhari said Monday in Abuja Nigeria will
fulfil its financial obligation to the African Union (AU), particularly on
programmes and operations aimed at ensuring durable peace, stability and
security on the continent.
Receiving the AU Envoy on the Peace Fund, Dr. Donald
Kaberuka, President Buhari said supporting peace operations, under the auspices
of the AU, in several countries affected by conflict remains 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 will
also play a central role in seeking the EU and the UN 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.
"What is happening in South Sudan is extremely
disturbing and it is a very dicey situation. The AU leadership has a crucial
role in stabilizing the country and other African countries on the brink. What
we can do urgently to stabilize South-Sudan is very important as African
leaders meet in Kigali, Rwanda this month and later in September at the
UN," the President said.
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 with the EU cut in its allocation to the AU Mission
in Somalia by 20 per cent.
Kaberuka said the AU summit in Kigali is 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.
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