"The crisis in that country has so far proved intractable. The AU has decided to send 8,000 troops immediately to assist peacekeeping efforts," AU chairman John Kufuor told the opening of the seventh ordinary session of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) in Midrand near Johannesburg.
"The solution to the situation lies with the people of Somalia. We cannot impose a solution. But dialogue is better than allowing force to reign," he said.
Hundreds have died since the beginning of the year as the Somali capital Mogadishu saw an upsurge in clashes between government-backed Ethiopian forces and Islamist insurgents and clan fighters opposed to their presence.
On the ongoing conflict in Darfur in Sudan, Kufuor said the deployment of 0
United Nations troops to that country had been been facing "odds" it was hoped would be overcome soon."The AU has been trying to exercise a leverage on the government of Sudan and the opposition in a bid to solve the problem. It seems some headway is being made. We hope that the hybrid force would be allowed to move in soon," he said.
Civil war in Darfur began in 2003 and has left some 200,000 people dead and another two million displaced, according to figures from international organisations which Sudanese authorities reject.
The AU has deployed a peacekeeping force in the region since 2004 that includes 7,000 soldiers.
Officials have complained of a lack of equipment and manpower for the mission but Khartoum has resisted the deployment of UN peacekeepers in a "hybrid" force with the AU.
"We need to increase the number of peacekeepers in Darfur," said Kufuor, who is Ghana's president.
On widespread complaints that greeted last month's elections in Nigeria, the AU chairman said the organisation was "concerned" over the situation in that country but warned against anyone seeking unconstitutional redress.
Foreign and domestic observers said the polls were marred by fraud and violence.
"The AU is naturally concerned about the happenings in Nigeria, about the complaints after the elections. Whatever the perception is, every aggrieved person should seek constitutional means of redressing his complaint.
"Going outside the constitution to seek redress will not be acceptable to the AU," said Kufuor.
The issue, as well as the ongoing political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe would top the agenda for talks between him and South African President Thabo Mbeki at a meeting in Pretoria on Tuesday, Kufuor added.
