Assembly/AU/Dec.408(XVIII) Page 4 14. REITERATES AU’S DEEP CONCERN at the proliferation of weapons in the Sahelo-Saharan region and the risks this situation poses for long-term security and stability, CONDEMNS STRONGLY the activities of armed groups in the region, including the recent attacks perpetrated in the northern part of Mali, EXPRESSES ITS FULL SUPPORT for the efforts being made by the countries of the region, with the support of the AU, WELCOMES the initiative by the Commission to organize, on the margins of the Ordinary Session of the Executive Council, a consultation on the outcome of the assessment mission on the security fallout of the Libyan crisis, and REQUESTS the PSC to consider, with the participation of the countries of the region, the impact of this crisis and further concrete modalities through which the AU can strengthen the efforts of the region and mobilize adequate international assistance in support of the priorities identified by the affected countries; 15. EXPRESSES DEEP CONCERN at the spate of terrorist attacks in different parts of the continent, in particular, in Nigeria, STRONGLY CONDEMNS these terrorist attacks and REQUESTS the Commission, in particular through the African Centre on the Research and Study on Terrorism (ACRST) and the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission, to facilitate an enhanced and coordinated response to this threat, particularly in view of the emerging linkages among terrorist groups, as well as between these terrorist groups and criminal networks; 16. WELCOMES the comprehensive report submitted by the Chairperson of the Commission on the AU-UN Partnership on Peace and Security and the subsequent PSC decision articulating AU’s vision of this partnership. EXPRESSES ITS GRATITUDE to President Jacob Zuma for the initiative to convene a meeting of the Security Council on the issue on 12 January 2012 and for having personally chaired the deliberations. REITERATES Africa’s position on the urgency and need for a stronger partnership based on a forward-looking reading of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter and underpinned by the following principles: support to African ownership and priority setting; consultative decisionmaking; division of labour and sharing of responsibilities; and effective use of the respective comparative advantages of the two organizations, and REQUESTS the Commission to actively follow up on this matter and to provide regular reports