Africans leaders must confront the AIDS pandemic oppressing the continent with the same passion their predecessors fought for independence from colonial masters, former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda said. "We have no time left to speak, only to act," he told Reuters on Thursday on the sidelines of a U.N. conference on governance under way in Ethiopia. "As in a war, and the war against colonial oppression is a good example here, leadership against AIDS must come from the top. People listen to their leaders and act in line with what their leaders say." The United Nations estimates some 40 million people around world are infected with the virus that causes AIDS. Sub-Saharan Africa is the worst affected region, with about 26 million people infected. Experts say that without quick attention the disease will erode African society and undermine its economy. "Rise to the occasion Africa. Fight with the vigour of the struggle for independence against an obstinate colonial master. We must do everything possible to conquer the disease," said Kaunda, whose own son was killed by the disease in 1986. Kaunda, who ruled Zambia for 27 years before his defeat in multi-party elections in 1991, has become one of Africa's leading anti-AIDS campaigners and is given super-star status on much of the continent. His interview with Reuters was interrupted numerous times by autograph seekers. "We need to inspire African leaders to do more to fight AIDS. They need to do more to get cheaper life-prolonging anti-retroviral drugs. If this is not dealt with as an emergency and given the urgent attention it requires, it will remain a threat to Africa's political and economic life," Kaunda said. Kaunda did not mention any African leaders by name, but his successor Frederick Chiluba was often criticized by activists and campaigners for appearing to do little to fight AIDS. Chiluba, Zambian president between 1991 and 2001, last month sparked fresh controversy by saying condoms did not work.
