AU unites to counter extremism

Thirty African leaders began a closed-door meeting Sunday to discuss ways to fight extremism and corruption at the 31st African Union summit being held in Mauritania's capital.

The meeting is held at a time when neighboring Mali has had three extremist attacks on military targets in three days.

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz said Africa urgently needs a comprehensive approach to deal with extremist attacks that takes into account the cultural and economic issues that are the root causes of the violence.

"The success of this approach entails the integration of solutions to the imbalances and the economic and social shortcomings that push our young people to become radicalized," he said.

Gerishon Ikiara, a lecturer at University of Nairobi in Kenya, said it's remarkable that Africa through the African Union realized the need to take a collective position and strategy in dealing with corruption and insecurity.

"While corruption and insecurity issues vary from country to country in Africa, fighting the vices correctively as a continent through AU may bear fruitful results," Ikiara said, hoping the summit will come up with tangible solution toward eradicating the extremism and corruption.

In the past three days, suspected extremists have carried out three attacks targeting military forces in Mali. On Friday, two soldiers and one civilian were killed in a car-bomb attack on the G5 Sahel force command post in the central town of Sevare.

On Saturday, at least four Malian soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit a landmine in the Koro area in Mali.

Four civilians were killed by a suicide car bomb that targeted French forces on Sunday.

Aziz said the bombing of the G5 Sahel force command post "hit the heart" of the region's security and lashed out at a lack of international help.

According to AFP, it was the first attack on the headquarters of the five-nation force, which was set up with French backing last year to fight jihadist insurgents and criminal groups in the vast and unstable Sahel region.

The al-Qaida-linked Support Group for Islam and Muslims, the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel, claimed the attack in a telephone call to the Mauritanian news agency Al-Akhbar.

"It was a message sent by the terrorists at this precise moment when we are getting organized to stabilize and secure our region," Aziz said.

He also stressed that Africa must eradicate corruption in order to spur development and for the well-being of the continent's people.

"Countries that have made progress against corruption have made social, economic and technological progress," he said, without citing the specific countries.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who is also the current president of the African Union, affirmed the organization's support to the people of Ethiopia, Nigeria and Mali against extremist violence.

"We regret the loss of innocent lives," said Kagame.

Edith Mutethya in Nairobi contributed to this story.