Africa-Press – Angola. The African Union (AU) reaffirmed on Thursday its commitment to strengthening dialogue with its European counterparts to find consensual solutions to the challenges facing the Sahel region. The AU will focus on peace, security, and sustainable development through the mechanisms provided for in the Samoa Agreement.
Angolan Minister of Foreign Affairs Téte António expressed this position in his capacity as Chair of the Executive Council of the AU during a virtual public hearing with a delegation of European parliamentarians from the Africa-EU Parliamentary Assembly. The hearing addressed the political and security situation in the Sahel and recommendations for the future.
Minister Téte António added that, in order to strengthen coordination and synergy between the African Union and the European Union, the main recommendations contained in the report of the independent high-level panel on security and development in the Sahel region, established by the United Nations and the African Union and led by former Nigerien president Mahamadou Issoufou, should be taken into account.
The report encompasses a comprehensive strategic assessment of security, development, and governance in more than 20 countries in the Sahara, including the Sahel region and the Gulf of Guinea.
The minister stated that the security situation in the Sahel region is quite complex, characterized by insurgency, terrorism, political instability, and humanitarian crises.
Concerned about this situation, the minister said, the AU chairperson, João Lourenço, appointed a Special Envoy to conduct a good offices mission to the Sahel region in June 2025. The mission will begin in Senegal and continue to Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
Inspired by the principles of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) founding fathers, which were reiterated in the African Union (AU) Charter, such as solidarity and non-indifference, the mission aimed to assess the political, security, and humanitarian situations in these countries and to formulate concrete recommendations for institutional normalization and the restoration of democratic order.
Minister Téte Antonio explained to those present that isolation, sanctions, and a lack of development support for countries in transition and their populations would be counterproductive, and requested that the African Union, the European Union, and other international actors review their stance.
In view of this scenario and upon the recommendation of the AU Chairperson, the appointment of a Special Envoy for the Sahel countries and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) was approved. This role is currently held by Burundi’s President, Evariste Ndayishimiye, who accepted this political and strategic mission for the collective benefit of the Union.
The Special Envoy’s mandate includes strengthening dialogue with local governments, community leaders, regional organizations, civil society, and other relevant actors. The goal is to promote comprehensive strategies for lasting peace and stability. The Special Envoy will report regularly on developments.
Hilde Vautmans, Chair of the European Parliament’s Europe-Africa Parliamentary Group, chaired the meeting, which was attended by members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the European-African Commission, as well as João Cravinho, the European Union’s Special Envoy for the Sahel Region.
The event took place under the structured political dialogue provided for in the Samoa Agreement, which strengthens the historical, political, and strategic ties between the European Union (EU), the African Union (AU), and the states of the Organization of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS).
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