TANZANIA has vowed to work closely with other African Union (AU) member states in discussing about security challenges facing the continent and engage in diplomatic talks in seeking solution as stipulated in the union’s Constitution. The Vice President Ms Samia Suluhu Hassan made the assurance here yesterday at the 27th AU Heads of State and Government summit.
She gave the country’s stance when
making a presentation on peace and security situation in the African
continent. “We (Tanzania) are saddened and condemn any acts of peace
violation that continue emerging in some African countries, something
which threatens the security of citizens,” she said.
Ms Samia expressed her concerns
regarding the ongoing violation of peace, citing examples of recent
killing of former Member of the East African Legislative Assembly
(EALA), Ms Hafsa Mossi, as well as recent fights that erupted in South
Sudan during which hundreds of civilians have died.
The VP called on conflicting parties in
Burundi and South Sudan to effectively engage in the ongoing peace talks
because that would be a right way to restore peace in the countries. Ms
Samia, who is representing President John Magufuli, further appealed to
the International Community to continue assisting South Sudan in
finding permanent solution to the conflict pitting the country.
Speaking on the AU Security Council, she
said Tanzania was supporting the idea of the AU which wants at least
two African countries to have permanent slots in the Security Council.
During the opening of the meeting, the
leaders emphasized on the issue of strengthening unity among the Member
States, saying that was the right way of bolstering economic growth. The
Member States also launched a common passport that will grant visa-free
access to all 54 member states.
The electronic passports will be issued
to heads of state and senior officials. The Union aims at distributing
the passports to all African citizens by 2018.
