UN General Assembly
2006

However, persistent tension in the Middle East must not divert our attention from Africa. That continent continues to be scourged by poverty, disease and armed conflict. But at the same time there is hope, thanks to the continent’s extraordinary vitality and creativity. Although far too many internal conflicts and international crises remain in many areas in Africa — for example, in Côte d’Ivoire; the Sudan, in particular the Darfur region, where a large-scale humanitarian crisis is looming; the Horn of Africa; and other areas as well — there are some signs of hope, sometimes fragile to be sure, are to be seen in countries as diverse as Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where an electoral process of unprecedented scale is under way with the massive support of the United Nations and the European Union, among other partners. The African Union is also playing an increasingly positive role in crisis management on the African continent, as illustrated by its action in Darfur through the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). It is