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Security Council members head to Addis for talks on UN-African Union cooperation

Security Council members head to Addis for talks on UN-African Union cooperation

The first stop for members of the United Nations Security Council travelling on a week-long mission to Africa will be the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, where they will focus on cooperation between the world body and the African Union (AU), as well as ongoing efforts for peace and development in Sudan and Somalia.

Tomorrow morning, the 15-member Council will begin its official programme with a meeting with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Alpha Oumar Konaré, a UN spokesperson said today.

Discussions are expected to focus on UN-AU cooperation, including in the fields of conflict prevention, mediation, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction. Ongoing peace processes in several African countries are also expected to feature prominently on the agenda, including Sudan and Somalia.

Following that meeting, Council delegates will hold a working lunch with Mr. Konaré and Commissioner Said Djinnit to discuss Sudan and AU-UN peacekeeping issues. The two organizations have long cooperated in the peacekeeping arena, most recently with agreement for the deployment of a hybrid force in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region.

The Council will then meet with the AU Peace and Security Council that afternoon, and the two bodies are expected to adopt a joint communiqué detailing their consultations when the meeting adjourns, and hold a press conference afterward.

The delegation will depart from Addis Ababa early on Sunday for Khartoum, where they will meet with the senior management of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), President Omar al-Bashir and other senior Sudanese officials, as well as hold a press conference, according to the spokesperson.

The mission will also head to Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) before returning to New York on 21 June.