U.N. discusses threats in Africa

U.N. officials in West Africa and Central Africa have met in Dakar, Senegal, to discuss cross-border threats in their areas of responsibility. Threat topics discussed included Gulf of Guinea piracy, the subsequent impact of the Libyan crisis and overthrow of the Gadhafi regime on security across the Sahel and the activities of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda. A U.N. statement about the meeting issued in New York reported that the among U.N. officials attending the gathering were the U.N. Secretary-General's Special Representative for West Africa Said Djinnit and his counterpart for Central Africa, Abou Moussa. The statement noted, "The meeting between Djinnit, who is also head of the U.N. Office for West Africa and Moussa, who spearheads the U.N. Office for Central Africa, was aimed at creating a regional approach to conflict prevention and peace building," the PANA Online reported Friday. The gathering was the first of a series of planned exchanges to be conducted periodically by U.N. regional offices in Africa.