Africa-Press. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Africa will remain the United Nations’ top priority, while the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, called for an end to the “extermination” of Palestinians. The remarks came at the opening of the African Union’s 39th summit in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.
Guterres said Africa must be represented on the UN Security Council, stressing that the continent “will remain the UN’s top priority until the last day of my term.”
He added that African peoples should benefit from the continent’s resources, noting that Africa can become a major driver of global energy.
Guterres urged all parties in Libya to engage in a peaceful track, and emphasized the need to end waves of violence and terrorism in Sahel countries.
For his part, Youssouf called for an end to the “extermination” of Palestinians. At the summit’s opening, he said: “In the Middle East, Palestine and the suffering of its people challenge our consciences. The extermination of this people must stop.”
Over two days, the summit is discussing internal conflicts in Sudan and Sahel countries, and efforts to combat cross-border terrorism.
Water security, sanitation, the African Continental Free Trade Area, and debt weighing on the continent are also among the top agenda items.
