Sisi Calls for African Force to Combat Terrorism

Nawal Sayed

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi proposed, in his closing speech at the African Union Summit on Sunday, that Egypt is willing to host Egypt an African summit devoted to discussing the establishment of an African force to combat terrorism.

Sisi's proposal is based on Egypt's responsibilities towards the continent and believing in the importance of that proposal to achieve peace and security in the African continent.

In his closing speech, President Sisi called on members states of the African Union for extensive consultation on all organizational and substantive dimensions of that proposed summit and the proposed force with the knowledge of the African Peace and Security Council and the Technical Committee for Defense, noting that "That matter should be brought up to the Summit Bureau as soon as possible."

Sisi arrived Saturday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he is attending the 33rd African Union Summit, dubbed as 33rd AU Summit, according to Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady.

Sisi handed over Egypt’s chairmanship of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government to South Africa.

“President Sisi took part in the African Peace and Security Council Summit on Libya, in addition to Presidential Mechanism Meeting On the Western Sahara Issue and the African Peer Review Mechanisms (APRM),” Rady said late Saturday.

Sisi congratulated the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for winning the Nobel Peace Prize, sending his greetings to all peoples in the continent.

"Egypt was honored to chair the AU in 2019 when the continent has moved forward," Sisi said in his opening speech.

"Egypt has acknowledged challenges that Africa has been facing and promising opportunities that the continent enjoys at the same time."

The Egyptian president stressed that despite of continuing conflicts in some parts on the continent and increasing dangers of extremism and terrorism in the Sahel and African Horn; Egypt was keep on fostering security and peace upon adopting a principle of African solutions to African crises.