African Leaders at the ongoing 23rd Ordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) in Malabo, Equitorial Guinea have condemned the spate of attacks by terrorists and insurgents on the African continent.
Chairman of the AU, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, while speaking at the opening of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government Thursday, said the continent’s leaders must rise to the occasion and adequately respond to contemporary security challenges.
He added that the tragic events across the continent were a reminder that to ensure peace and security, there was the need for a better understanding of the continent.
Meanwhile, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has cut short a trip to the summit a day after a bomb blast in Abuja, his office said on Thursday.
No fewer than 21 people were killed in the blast which occurred at Emab Plaza, a crowded shopping arena in Abuja, the third attack on the capital since April, but the first in the town centre, which has heightened fears the terror group is closer to striking the country where it will be hardest hit.
Jonathan is returning on Thursday instead of the previously planned Friday, his office said.
