African leaders meeting in Libya have agreed to set up a joint military force which could intervene to end civil wars or prevent genocide.
This is part of a sweeping agreement on defence and security in Africa signed after a two-day summit in Sirte.
The agreement is "a collective answer to threats, whether internal or external, over the continent," said Mozambique President, Joachim Chissano.
The summit rejected a Libyan plan to set up a single African army.
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's plan, tabled at the last minute, had delayed the closing ceremony of the summit.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3496204.stm