Nouakchott- Thirty African leaders began a closed-door meeting Sunday to discuss ways to fight extremism and corruption at the 31st African Union summit being held in Mauritania's capital.

Africa urgently needs a comprehensive approach to deal with extremist attacks that takes into account the cultural and economic aspects that are the root causes of the violence, AP quoted Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz as saying.

«The success of this approach entails the integration of solutions to the imbalances and the economic and social shortcomings that push our young people to become radicalized,» he said.

The Mauritanian head of state stressed that Africa must stamp out corruption in order to spur development and for the well-being of the continent's people. «Countries that have made progress against corruption have made social, economic and technological progress,» he said.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who is also the current president of the African Union, affirmed the organization's support for the people of Ethiopia, Nigeria and Mali against extremist violence. «We regret the loss of innocent lives,» lamented Kagame.

After posing for a group photo at the Al Mourabitoune international conference center, the heads of state and government went into a closed session.