Africa-Press – Angola. The 36th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) begins this Saturday, with a strong focus on peace on the continent and the creation of a free trade area.
The Summit, which takes place under the motto: “Accelerating the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), has the participation of the President of the Republic, João Lourenço.
Before the formal start of the AU Summit, President João Lourenço, who also chairs the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (IRGL), and is the AU mediator in the crisis between Rwanda and the DRC, brought together the leaders of Burundi , Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
This meeting, held on Friday (17th) aimed to discuss the conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the presence of the presidents of these countries.
At the end of Friday afternoon, President João Lourenço also participated in the meeting of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, convened by South Africa as President of the Peace and Security Council of the continental organization for the month of February.
President João Lourenço, as AU Champion for Peace and Reconciliation, is expected to present his first report during the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
The Summit will analyze and approve the strategic reports on the African Union, namely on peace and security, regional integration, economic, financial, social and energy policies, as well as specific thematic issues.
The opening session of the Summit will feature interventions by the President of Senegal and acting AU, Macky Sall, and the Head of State of the country that will assume the rotating presidency of the continental organization, the Comoros.
The chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, should also speak, who will present a report on the peace and security situation in Africa and the actions undertaken by the organization in relation to the matter.
The secretary general of the United Nations, António Guterres, who is in the Ethiopian capital, will also participate in the ceremony.
The African Union (AU), launched in Durban on 9 July 2002, by its first president, the former Head of State of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, succeeded the Organization of African Unity (OAU), created on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia).
With 55 member states, the organization focuses on promoting democracy, peace, human rights and economic development in Africa.
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