AU to Step up Fight against International Crimes

(PANA)--The African Union (AU) will focus its attention in the fight against piracy, terrorism, money laundering and other international crimes while also developing the capacity of its proposed regional armies over the next five years, senior officials of the pan African body said in Sirte on Wednesday.

African Union’s Commission’s deputy chairperson Erastus Mwencha said the fight against terrorism in Somalia, battling international fraud and stepping up Africa’s fight against illegal activities, would form part of Africa’s new institutional building mechanisms once its new strategic plan is approved.

African leaders have gathered in the Libyan city of Sirte on 1 July to discuss the organisation’s strategic plan, which among other issues, seeks to address a common defence policy for the continent while also styling up the AU Commission to engage directly in the implementation of mega development projects. ‘The strategic plan 2003-2007 was meant to create working structures of the African Union Commission (AUC). We have a new strategic plan for 2009-2012, which will focus on the effectiveness and efficiency with its first pillar as peace and security,’ the AU deputy chief told a news conference.

The first pillar of the new AU strategy focuses on peace and security with the creation of the African standby force as a key plank of the plan. Mwencha said it was not immediately clear if the African standby force would be used in the defence of Africa but most experts, including the AU peace and pecurity Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra, had previously told PANA that the army would be used for Africa’s peacekeeping efforts.

Mwencha said the first AU strategy saw the creation of the African peace and security council, worked on a 24-hour basis to react to any emerging crises and threats to peace in the continent. The second part of the plan is examining the defence of Africa with a common defence policy for Africa, which has been proposed for debate during the summit in Sirte as part of the big discussions.

The new defence policy could be in place within four to five years. ‘We are still in the primary stage of putting in place the elements, including the operations of the African standby force, and whether the force would be part of Africa’s defence,’ Mwencha said. The AU also plans to focus on large-scale development of the continent. This strategy takes note of the fact that the commission failed to establish itself as a project execution authority and it now needs time to become a major institution in the implementation of Africa’s economic and social projects.

So far, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is being styled as the implementing arm for major projects to be taken regionally and continentally.

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