THE United Nations (UN) and African Union Commission (AUC) have thrown their weights behind President Goodluck Jonathan's effort to tackle the menace of members of the Islamic religious sect, Boko Haram, which has led to the death of many people in the country.

The UN Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon and the AUC chairperson, Dr Jean Ping, gave this indication in their separate remarks at the opening of the 18th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sunday.

According to Ban, the UN was working closely with AU to address what he described as transnational challenges in West Africa, including terrorism, illicit drug trafficking and the rise of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

He said: “With respect to Nigeria, I am deeply troubled by the indiscriminate and unacceptable violent attacks. No cause justifies terror.

“We stand in solidarity with the authorities and the people of Nigeria for democratic and accountable governance.”

He urged African leaders to adopt a preventive approach to human rights, as he observed that the Arab Spring took many by surprise with traditional indicators showing that the countries were stable or doing well.

The UN scribe noted that below the surface of the indicators, there were deprivation, exclusion and abuse among others, adding that “events have proved that repression is a dead-end. Police power is no match for people power seeking dignity and justice.

“The women and men protesting in streets and public squares across the region are both an inspiration and a reminder.

“A reminder that leaders must listen to their people...that all of us must do more.”

He further stated that even though trade and investment were crucial for development, Africa’s future depended on investments in civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.

Ban identified discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity as one form of discrimination which, he said, had been ignored or even sanctioned by many states for too long.

In his remark, Ping regretted that over the past months, the continent had witnessed a resurgence of terrorism, particularly in Nigeria.

“I take this opportunity to reiterate the strong condemnation by the AU of the criminal attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram and other terrorist groups, and to reiterate our support for the efforts of the government of Nigeria,” he added.

The AUC chairperson said although considerable progress had been made in the areas of creating an atmosphere of peace on the continent, there was still a long way to go in order to fully live up to the commitments made, noting that the violence and contestations which often mark elections in Africa remind the people of the continent, sometimes in a tragic way, of this fact.

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He is an agent of doom
written by Kelly Kerrim, January 30, 2012

Femi is an agent of the devil to your life.

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mr
written by MT, January 30, 2012

Well selected diplomatic words by Ban and Ping. But what effort are they commending Jonathan for? Is it for asking the BH to show their faces? Nigerian citizens are still being killed in kano and maiduguri. Jonathan needs to do more. Is not enough to be deploying police and military to churches and mosques on worship days.

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