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African leaders declare 2010, Year of Peace and Security in Africa
Tuesday, 02 February 2010 16:16 | 
Bingu Wa Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi elected new Chairperson of the AU
2nd February 2010: African leaders have officially declared 2010 the year of peace and Security in Africa. “2010 will be a year of many challenges. While in the past few years, the number of violent conflicts has been significantly reduced, thanks to the collective determination and efforts of Africa, far too many African countries remain trapped in a vicious cycle of conflict with its attendant deadly consequences,” Mr. Lamamra Ramtane, African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security said during the official launch of “2010, Year of Peace and Security in Africa”.
He went on to say that “Armed conflicts in Africa kill thousands of people every year; create humanitarian disasters; wipe out livelihoods of ordinary people; and make sustainable economic development impossible. There is also a more profound loss: the destruction of hope for a better future.”
The ceremony was attended by the African Heads of State and Government gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the 14th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly.
During the ceremony, a flame of peace was symbolically handed over to the newly elected Chairperson of the AU, Mr. Bingu Wa Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi by Mr Akere Muna, Presiding Officer of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union (ECOSOCC).
Mr. Muna urged the Assembly “to leave no stone unturned to make Peace Happen! African people cannot expect less from you.”
During the Year of Peace and Security in Africa, in each of the 53 Member states of the AU, a Flame of Peace will travel around the country in order to promote the initiative and to involve all African citizens.
Mr. Bingu Wa Mutharika, in his statement of acceptance of the flame on behalf of the Assembly pledged to give greater visibility to ongoing and past efforts by the AU and to speed up the implementation of “commitments made by our countries to various AU instruments relating to peace and security”.
He also pledged to link the efforts to promote peace and security with the efforts being undertaken on the ground by ordinary communities and to mobilize resources to support peace and security efforts on the continent.
In the Tripoli Declaration on the Elimination of Conflicts in Africa and the Promotion of Sustainable Peace adopted by the Special Session of the Assembly of the Union, held on 31st August 2009, the Assembly decided to proclaim 2010 as the Year of Peace and Security in Africa.