African states urged to send troops to Somalia, update AU summit opens in Uganda amid tight security, Peace and Security high on agenda

AU summit opens in Uganda amid tight security, Peace and Security high on agenda
Kampala THE Prime Minister, Prof. Apolo Nsibambi, has called on African Union states to honour their pledges regarding Somalia. In a speech read by Daudi Migereko, the Government chief whip, Nsibambi called on members of the Pan-African Parliament to urge their governments to send troops to the war-torn Somalia. He pointed out that if African governments failed to ensure peace and tranquillity on the continent, acts of terrorism and piracy, as witnessed in Kampala, were likely to rise. “Terrorism and piracy will increase the cost of doing business in Africa, and peace and stability on the continent will be threatened,” Nsibambi said at the opening of the Pan-African Parliament consultative meeting on the African charter on democracy, elections and governance. The charter was adopted by the heads of African states in 2007 to promote democracy and good governance in member states and serve as a guide and reference point for the ongoing political reforms on the continent. The Speaker of Parliament, Edward Ssekandi, called on the AU commission on political affairs to work with national parliaments to ensure that the charter is ratified by member states. The president of the Pan-African Parliament, Moussa Idrid, condemned the recent terrorist attacks on football fans, saying they were unjust. “We condemn the act and send our condolences to the bereaved families. It was unjust to kill innocent Ugandans,” he said. Idrid reminded the states to honour their pledges and send more troops to somalia