Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Saturday that terrorist organisations take advantage of armed civil conflicts to recruit fighters, calling for adopting an effective strategy to fight terrorism. The president made the comments at the Peace and Security Council session as part of the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, which is taking place from 28 to 29 January in Addis Ababa. The session saw a discussion of the "comprehensive approach on combating the threat of terrorism in Africa." El-Sisi is also participating in the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Summit in the AU. The NEPAD initiative includes the vision of the African Union for Economic and Social Development for the African continent. The NEPAD session is set to discuss consolidating cooperation among African countries, especially in cross-border projects, and will also highlight the importance of supporting internal partnerships between the public and private sectors, as well as combating corruption. NEPAD is a socio-economic development flagship programme adopted by the AU since 2001 with the aim of addressing the challenges of poverty, development and Africa's marginalisation internationally. The 30th Ordinary Session is being held under the theme “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa's Transformation.” On the sidelines of the summit, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held a series of talks with African counterparts in the Ethiopian capital on Thursday and Friday, including the foreign ministers of Ghana, Mali, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Djibouti, Kenya and Malawi.
