1998, a hard year for Africa, says OAU chief

The year 1998 was a "very hard year" for Africa, regarding the "quest of peace, stability and security" said here Monday secretary general of the Organization of African Unity, Salim Ahmed Salim.

In a year's end message, the OAU chief called Africans to "break the vicious circle of conflicts and violence," citing the conflicts in Somalia, Burundi, Angola, southern Sudan, Comoro islands, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho and Democratic republic of Congo.

"Ceaseless efforts were made and will continue to be made to find peaceful solutions to the conflict in Congo-Brazzaville, to the dispute between Ethiopia and Erythrea and to the crisis in Comoros," he promised. He, however, conceded that efforts to instill a culture of peace, tolerance and democracy in African societies are still weak.

Regarding the economic and social situation in the continent, Salim stressed that most Africans continue to live in poverty and suffer from unemployment, the lack of housing, the shortage of education and malnutrition.

However, he went on, the year also witnessed "modest achievements and progress" such as the increase of growth, of the Gross Domestic Product and of the per-capita income.