Malawi President fails to attend AU summit

Lilongwe (Malawi) -- Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika, still mourning his late wife’s passing, has failed to attend the African Union (AU) leaders summit being held in Accra, Ghana. State House Press Officer Chikumbutso Mtumodzi told APA Monday that Mutharika had instead delegated the Minister responsible for Presidential and Parliamentary Affairs, Davis Katsonga, to represent the country in the Ghanaian capital.

The Minister left the country on Friday for Ghana.

"The President cannot live the country now to attend the summit because he has just finished a 30-day period of morning for the First Lady Ethel Mutharika who died on 28 June. This is why he delegated his minister to represent the country on his behalf," Mtumodzi said.

African leaders and other government officials are meeting in Accra to discuss peacekeeping in Darfur, Sudan, and other war countries, the Zimbabwe crisis and the formation of United States of Africa, among other things.