Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe has called for an emergency meeting of the African Union to discuss the violence in eastern Congo

Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe has called for an emergency meeting of the African Union to discuss the violence in eastern Congo, a Nigerian newspaper reported on Monday.

Maduekwe said the fighting had become a threat to African peace and security which threatened to further impoverish the continent by diverting attention away from development needs

n offensive by Tutsi rebels loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda, and killings and looting by Congolese army troops, have created what foreign relief workers call a "catastrophic" situation in eastern Congo's North Kivu province.

A ceasefire declared by Nkunda seems to be holding but tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced. U.N. officials fear they have left unprotected camps and are roaming the bush, seeking safe shelter, food, water and care.

Maduekwe made the call for a meeting of the AU's Peace and Security Council during a visit to Indonesia to discuss the possibility of commuting a death sentence passed against 18 Nigerians convicted of drug trafficking, This Day said.