African Union leaders are set to discuss a broad peace and security agenda, ways to operationalise the African Continental Free Trade Area as well as African candidacies in international bodies.

The African Union (AU)’s nations are meeting for a two-day session of the assembly of heads of state and government in Addis Ababa on 9-10 February to concentrate on efforts to "silence the guns" in the region and remove other challenges to the continent’s improvement.

This year, the summit is being held under the theme "Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s development".

Among other topics, the leaders will touch upon the Libyan crisis, especially in light of the AU's plans to organise a Reconciliation Forum on the situation in the North African country in the spring.