President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned in Addis Ababa that the international community should not "fold its hands and watch genocide develop" in Sudan's Darfur region.

Speaking at a press conference in the Ethiopian capital on October 10, President Obasanjo said that the world has already witnessed "near genocide" in the region before the intervention of African Union Forces and should now do everything possible to prevent the development of "full genocide" in the region.

"It is not in the interest of Sudan nor in the interest of Africa nor indeed in the interest of the world for us all to stand by and see genocide being developed in Darfur," President Obasanjo said.

Responding to a question, he said that if the need arises, and "there are sufficient resources to back such an increase", Nigeria would consider a request to contribute more troops for peace-keeping in the Darfur region.

"We were the first to contribute troops to the African Mission in Sudan (AMIS) and we have the largest contingent. We regard it as part of the price we have to pay to resolve conflicts and achieve peace in Africa," the President said.

On the situation in Somalia, President Obasanjo said that the African Union will continue to do its best to create an environment in which Somalis can dialogue and resolve their differences themselves.

He thanked the government and people of Ethiopia for the "very warm reception" accorded him and his delegation, saying that his visit will help to further strengthen the very good relationship between Nigeria and Ethiopia.

Before the press conference which was jointly addressed by President Obasanjo and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, both countries had signed agreements to boost bilateral cooperation in areas of trade, culture and tourism.