ADDIS ABABA, Feb 3 (NNN-ANGOP)– African Union leaders gathered in Ethiopia were set Saturday to discuss means of containing the violence in Kenya and Chad during a special meeting on the last day of their summit.
On Friday, the 53-state African Union said the meeting would group heads of state and government, to mull a response to the crises in Kenya, Chad and the Comoros.
As Chadian rebels on a major offensive clashed with government forces only 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the capital Ndjamena, officials attending the summit in Addis Ababa held a series of special meetings.
One high-ranking AU official told AFP the fighting could have a serious impact on the deployment of a European peacekeeping force in Chad and of an African Union-UN contingent in neighbouring Sudan`s Darfur region.”This attack means that everything is up in the air,” said the official, who declined to be identified.
The European Union announced Friday it was delaying the deployment of troops and equipment.The so-called “hybrid force” being set up by the AU and UN in Darfur also faced fresh challenges, as the Chadian rebel attack was launched from Sudan, raising the prospect of instability along Darfur`s border.