African Union meets to discuss Central African republic, South Sudan

African Union leaders are to meet Thursday in Addis Ababa to discuss the conflicts in the Central African Republic and in South Sudan, where thousands have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced, dpa reported. The two-day summit is expected to consider the possibility of boosting AU forces in CAR, where the organization has deployed morethan 3,500 troops so far. The country slid into chaos in March after the president was overthrown. AU and French forces have been unable to stop the violence between sectrian groups. In South Sudan, sporadic fighting has been reported despite a ceasefire brokered on January 23 by the East African bloc IGAD, whic hworks together with the AU. The AU summit had initially been due to focus on food security, but the humanitarian crises unfolding in CAR and South Sudan has pushed the two countries to the top of the agenda.