Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — A joint youth group comprising the youth wing of the Addis Ababa HIV/AIDS Council and the youth delegation taking part in the 2nd Africa Development Forum Wednesday night petitioned African leaders for action against the scourge.

The 24 youth marched into the UN Conference Centre with lit candles in memory of millions that had died of AIDS in Africa.

Three of youth - among whom were a boy and a girl living with AIDS - were taken into a large room where they met with the African leaders and presented them with three messages.

One was a resolution from the youth forum and the other two were messages from the Ethiopian Save Your Generation Association, a youth group active on breaking the silence against the pandemic; and another advocacy group of carriers of the virus, "Dawn Of Hope," all pressing for urgent action to check the spread of the pandemic in Africa.

As the press was not allowed into the small room where the leaders met the youth, the youngsters later said they received "sympathetic hearing."

They were told that the leaders would make a formal reply to their petition Thursday.

They later accompanied the leaders out of the conference hall with lit candles as they were driven to their hotels.

The leaders were Presidents Festus Mogae of Botswana, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Malawi vice president Justin Malewezi, prime ministers Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, Hage Geingob of Namibia, Nagoum Yamassoum of Chad and Moustapha Niass of Senegal.

Earlier, some 10,000 children gathered at Maskal Square in downtown Addis Ababa where musical and drama performances were held on the theme of AIDS.

The children later marched in a silent vigil, in remembrance of all those who died of AIDS in Africa, from the square to the conference centre.

They were greeted along the route by large crowds who shouted: "Action Against AIDS" - the slogan printed in Amharic and English on the T-shirts they wore.