Addis Ababa — Former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda has challenged African leaders to wage war against HIV and AIDS in the same way they did with colonialism and apartheid.

He was addressing the fourth African Development Forum (ADF) this morning, under the theme: "The impact of HIV/AIDS on governance".

"As a former freedom fighter, I would like to urge our leaders in the continent to wage a relentless fight against this pandemic just as they did against colonialism and apartheid. We must do everything in our power to conquer AIDS," he implored.

He called on political principals to increase their level of participation in mobilising and conscientising communities about the disease, saying the African continent was faced with a crisis "which should be declared an emergency that requires extraordinary measures to address".

Dr Kaunda said this ought to be coupled with the financial muscle needed to deal with the impact of the plague.

Dr Kaunda garnered international acclaim after he revealed that his 30-year-old son, Masuzyo died of AIDS-related complications over a decade ago.

He said such moves were imperative in dealing with the stigma associated with people living with the disease. "We need to encourage openness at high level...so that we can be able to remove the stigma," said Dr Kaunda.

Dr Kaunda said the impact in Africa was evident through the loss of skilled manpower as the disease hampered the delivery of services at government level.

"No sector of governance has been spared. From education, health and civil, all have been affected negatively by this disease," he explained.

Other issues that governments ought to take very seriously in this regard were nutrition and increased funding from the international community.

"It is becoming clear that African countries lack the capacity to sustain HIV and AIDS treatment," said Dr Kaunda.