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Moussa Faki Mahamat

ADDIS ABABA. – African Union head Moussa Faki Mahamat on Monday criticised member states for a lack of solidarity shown to nations on the continent who are facing famine and drought.

“I cannot hide my deep frustration at the silence and inaction of Africans in the face of the terrible tragedy of famine in these regions,” said Faki, a former Chadian foreign minister elected in January as chairperson of the AU commission. “What happened to the African values of solidarity and fraternity? What happened to our civil society?”

Faki’s election came days after the United Nations said the world was facing “the worst humanitarian crisis since the end of the Second World War,” with 20 million people facing malnutrition and famine in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria.

An official declaration of famine in South Sudan was lifted in June after four months, though the situation there and in the three other countries remains desperate.

The situation could be set to worsen as the much-anticipated rainy season in the Horn of Africa draws to a close. The rains were declared “significantly below average” by the weather monitoring group FEWSNET.

The AU summit focused on issues including how to reform the body and make it financially independent from foreign donors. — AFP.