(SomaliNet) An extra 8 000 peacekeepers will be sent to Somalia, the African Union (AU) announced on Monday but saying that dialogue remained the only solution to the bloody conflict in that country. "The crisis in that country has so far proved intractable. The AU has decided to send 8 000 troops immediately to assist peacekeeping efforts," AU chairperson John Kufuor told the opening of the seventh ordinary session of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) in Midrand near Johannesburg, South Africa. "The solution to the situation lies with the people of Somalia. We cannot impose a solution. But dialogue is better than allowing force to reign," he said. Meanwhile, hundreds have died since the beginning of the year as the Somali capital Mogadishu saw an upsurge in clashes between government-backed Ethiopian forces and insurgents and clan fighters opposed to their presence.