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                   African Union Celebrates 50th Anniversary

   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is among dignitaries from around the
   world gathered in Ethiopia`s capital to celebrate the 50th anniversary
   of the African Union bloc of nations.
   At the opening ceremony in Addis Ababa Saturday, AU chairman and
   Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn urged the other African
   leaders to "create a continent free from poverty and conflict."
   Before the ceremony, Kerry demanded that Nigeria crack down on
   Islamists extremists. Standing next to Mr. Hailemariam, the top U.S.
   diplomat said Nigeria has the right to defend itself against
   terrorists, but he also expressed concern about possible human rights
   abuses by government forces.
   On Friday, the U.S. State Department said it is concerned about what it
   calls a "heavy-handed" response by some Nigerian forces in their fight
   against militants in the north.
   A U.S. official said the State Department has been monitoring the
   situation and concludes that human rights abuses are continuing. The
   official said Kerry plans to meet with Nigerian President Goodluck
   Jonathan on the sidelines of the AU summit.
   Nigeria has declared a state of emergency in the north, where Boko
   Haram extremists have launched numerous terrorist attacks primarily
   against police and Christians.
   Kerry also plans to hold separate talks about border security with the
   president of South Sudan and the foreign minister of Sudan.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/african-union-celebrates-50th-anniver
   sary/1668152.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/african-union-celebrates-50th-anniversary/1668152.html