The African Union and Somalia appealed Saturday for African states to contribute more troops to a peacekeeping force deploying in the troubled Horn of Africa nation.

In a statement issued at their summit in Addis Ababa, AU leaders issued "an urgent appeal for member states to provide required troops and personnel in order to meet AMISOM's target" of 8,000 peacekeepers.

The African Union's AMISOM peacekeeping force in Somalia was authorised in January 2007, but only has two contingents -- from Uganda and Burundi -- totally about 3,200 troops on the ground.

The AU summit also urged the United Nations to accept the principle of a takeover from AMISOM.

The force is generally considered to have performed well in a number of specific duties, although it has been unable to quell the fighting pitting Ethiopian-backed Somali government forces against Islamist insurgents

African Business

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|DjibTalk