THE 27th African Union Summit opened in Kigali, yesterday, at the Kigali Convention Center (KCC) with a call for solidarity, unity and the spirit of pan-Africanism among African nations to address issues affecting the continent.

Under the theme; African Year of Human Rights, with particular focus on the Rights of Women, the Summit will run up to July 18.

The theme for this year is timely as some parts of the continent are embroiled in civil strife, which has led to gross abuse of human rights especially for women, children and loss of lives.

On the eve of the summit, South Sudan, the newest member of the AU slipped back into turmoil at a time when hope was high that a peaceful solution was close to being reached after a costly civil war.

In other countries like Burundi, Somalia, Nigeria, Central African Republic and Libya among others, pockets of insecurity have persisted.

Such conflicts only reinforce the western narrative that Africa cannot move beyond wars, famine and disease without foreign intervention.

Some efforts have been undertaken by African nations to address some of these challenges like through the peace keeping missions, but a lot more needs to be done. The African Union must evolve into a more pro-active body that can take on the challenges facing the continent and deal with them decisively. 

The continent cannot afford a repeat of what has happened as a result of letting outsiders to deal with the African problems. The solution to African problems will not come from outside the continent. Examples where Africa folded it’s hands as the foreigners intervened like in Libya, only to turn the country into a ‘failed’ state should not be allowed to happen again.

Rwanda went through the same ordeal in 1994 when the African states again looked on as the international community aided a rogue regime that masterminded the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. If we had a strong African body at the time, the lives of over one million people who died would have been saved.

Such examples should be a reminder to the African leaders as they meet in Kigali that it is time for them to take a stand on the future of Africa collectively and with one voice.