African Union marks 50 Years of founding (Photo: Reuters.com)

African leaders on Saturday commemorated 50 years since the founding of a continental organization that would become the modern African Union. At AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the organization’s leaders celebrated the achievements of the past and called for greater solidarity among nations going forward.  African Union Chairman and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn told leaders as he opened the celebrations that they should seek to "create a continent free from poverty and conflict, and an Africa whose citizens enjoy a middle income status."  He said that this historic day marks not only a great leap forward in the Pan-African quest of freedom, independence and unity but also the beginning of collective endeavor for the realization of Africa’s social and economic emancipation. He honored the bloc’s founders with a call to continue to carry out their vision. In her address Saturday, AU Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma called on member countries to build a longtime strategic development for the region, in which setting up free trade areas forwards an one African market, and promoting the strength of 5 areas of Africa and creating a favorable condition for people to travel. After ceremony, leaders participated at the official 21^st   African Union Summit to discussing on finding resolution for regional issues.