TheCable

Abdulsalami Abubakar, former head of state, says African countries must change the approach of using force to maintain peace.

Abubakar said this on Saturday at a conference organised in his honour in Abuja.

The former head of state said the continent is still battling “conflicts of diverse kinds”, which he said is one of the greatest challenges of the continent.

He encouraged African leaders to embrace “constructive engagement” in resolving conflict rather than force.

“Africa as a continent has not been freed from conflict, indeed conflicts of diverse kinds are still one of the greatest challenges in Africa,” he said.

“Conflicts persist in Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Southern Sudan, Central African Republic, Mali, Mozambique, Libya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, among others.

“Consequently, as African leaders, we must be resolute and have the strong political will to resolve these conflicts and other developmental challenges confronting our continent.

“Therefore sustaining peace should be a continuous work in progress and we must change our approach of using force to maintain peace.

“But rather seeking constructive engagement with diverse stakeholders to broaden our perspectives of the issues in contention.”

He commended the National Peace Committee (NPC) for the roles played in bringing sanity to the country’s polity while appreciating Nigerians for believing in the committee.