LUSAKA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Zambia has assumed the chairmanship of the African Union Peace and Security Council, the second time the country will be chairing the organ, a senior government official said on Wednesday.
Susan Sikaneta, Zambia's Permanent Representative to the AU, said Zambia will be chair of the organ for the second time since becoming a member of the council three years ago.
The Zambian government official said during the chairmanship, Zambia would evaluate whether the peace and security platform in Africa was sufficient to allow flagship programs in Agenda 2063 to succeed.
She said the root causes of conflict on the continent must be eliminated if the flagship programs were to succeed, according to a statement released by the Zambia embassy in Ethiopia.
Among the flagship programs in Agenda 2063 include the protocol on the free movement of people, the continental free trade agreement, and the continental high speed train, among others.
The Zambian envoy expressed concern that most conflicts on the African continent were as a result of deficits in democracy and governance, adding that there was need for the Peace and Security Council to examine the AU Charter in its entirety and strengthen its provisions for peace and stability to be guaranteed in Africa.
She further said there was need for Africa to adequately prepare on how to do deal with the illegal weapons and arms that were circulating on the continent.
"These are weapons that are used by terrorist groups, and weapons that are used in all manner of conflicts on the continent," she said.
The AU has dedicated next month as the Amnesty Month in which countries are being encouraged to take practical steps to silence the guns in Africa.
"It is estimated that 900 million small arms and light weapons are in circulation around the world, with Africa having a large proportion of these, which fuel terrorist activities, civil war and all manner of conflicts in our continent," she added.
