Addis Ababa - Indications are that delegates attending the upcoming African Union Summit in Ethiopia will spend much time deliberating on finding lasting solutions to the continent's conflicts as there is a general view that conflicts are standing in the way of a unified Africa.
"There is a general trend towards a more peaceful, stable Africa, deeply committed to tackling peace and security," said AU Commission chairperson Jean Ping.
Briefing the media on Tuesday, Mr Ping said the AU planned to play a stronger role in negotiating a lasting solution to the political deadlock in Zimbabwe during the summit.
Recalling from a statement he made earlier on, Mr Ping said the AU summit would empower the organisation to take further measures to strengthen its involvement.
Monday's SADC Summit gave Zimbabwe's political leaders until 5 February to pass Constitutional Amendment 19.
The summit further agreed that Zimbabwe's prime minister and deputy ministers be sworn in on 13 February 2009, which will conclude the process of the formation of an inclusive government.
Mr Ping indicated that during the past six months, the continent witnessed coup d',tat in two of the 53 member states (Mauritania and Guinea) while making progress with democratic elections in Ghana.
"The AU is made up of 53 nations and yes we have problems, however we are addressing them," he said, believing that the union was moving in the right direction to address them.
On the situation in the Sudan-Dafur region, he said hundred more troops will arrive in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region within the next two months in an effort to boost protection of civilians.
Additional troops are expected to arrive by March from Egypt, South Africa, Senegal and Bangladesh, and later this year, further troops will arrive from Nepal, Nigeria, Egypt and Ethiopia, said Mr Ping.
He said Tanzania had also announced it would send an entire infantry battalion of about 900 personnel and an advance party, including engineers crucial to UNAMID's plan to expedite its deployment target.
The hybrid force is set up by the Security Council to protect civilians on the western flank of Sudan, where an estimated 300 000 people have been killed and another 2.7 million have been forced from their homes since fighting erupted in 2003, pitting rebels against government forces and allied Janjaweed militiamen.
