AU to send delegation to unrest-hit Gabon

Nairobi: The African Union said Monday it is ready to send a delegation to Gabon where a disputed election has sparked deadly violence in recent days, a statement said.

"A high-level delegation composed of African heads of state, accompanied by senior officials of the AU Commission and the United Nations, is ready to be dispatched to Libreville, as soon as conditions for such a visit are met," AU chairman and Chad President Idriss Deby said in a statement.

Deby said he was following events in Gabon with "renewed attention" and that the AU is ready "to assist the parties in Gabon in their search for a rapid settlement to the post-election situation that prevails in their country."

Opposition leader Jean Ping, himself a former senior AU official, declared himself the winner despite Gabon`s election commission handing victory to incumbent President Ali Bongo.