African leaders meet amid drought threat and insecurity

African heads of state have begun their annual continental meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

This year’s African Union summit is being held amid increasing insecurity in parts of the continent and a major food crisis as several countries face severe drought.

This is the first major gathering of leaders from across the continent in Addis Ababa since the AU brokered a peace deal between the Ethiopian government and forces from the country’s Tigray region. The deal ended one of Africa’s deadliest armed conflicts.

Following the agreement fighting has stopped and access to humanitarian aid has increased.

Now the AU has to address security problems from the Sahel in West Africa to the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Meanwhile millions face hunger in the Horn of Africa due to the most severe drought in two generations.

The two-day summit is also expected to call for a boost in the implementation of the continent-wide free trade deal.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: EPA