Africa-Press. The chair of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, said the “extermination” of the Palestinian people must end, as dozens of heads of state gathered in Addis Ababa for the African Union’s 39th summit.
“In the Middle East, Palestine and the suffering of its people also challenge our consciences. The extermination of this people must stop,” Youssouf said on Saturday.
He added that international law and international humanitarian law must remain the foundation of the international community, and called for lifting the Israeli blockade on humanitarian goods entering the besieged Palestinian territory.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 72,045 people and wounded 171,686 since October 2023, and continues despite a “ceasefire”.
Conflicts across Africa
Youssouf also addressed multiple conflicts across the continent, calling for the “silencing of the guns”.
“From Sudan to the Sahel, to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in Somalia and elsewhere, our people continue to pay the heavy price of instability,” he said.
The summit brought together leaders from the African Union’s 55 member states over two days. The meeting was expected to focus on wars and security, governance challenges, threats to democracy, and climate change—alongside priorities such as sanitation and water-linked climate shocks.
UN message and Security Council reform
In a summit address, the United Nations secretary-general described the African Union as a “flagship for multilateralism” at a time of global “division and mistrust”.
He also renewed calls for a permanent African seat on the UN Security Council, arguing that the lack of permanent representation is “indefensible”.
“This is 2026, not 1946. Whatever decisions about the African world are made around the table, Africa must be at the table,” he said.
Water, development, and regional pressures
This year’s summit theme focused on water and sanitation. Ethiopia’s prime minister highlighted water conservation as a central development issue.
“Water is more than just a resource. It is a foundation of development, innovation and stability,” he said. “Here in Ethiopia, we have learned that responsible water management is central to guiding development wisely.”
Across Africa, water pressures intersect with interstate disputes—such as tensions over the Nile—as well as internal conflicts, including farmer-herder clashes over access to arable land, public protests over service delivery failures, and health outbreaks following major floods and droughts.
Despite water being a key theme, unresolved issues from last year—such as reduced global aid—remain a concern, with warnings that funding is not reaching people in need.
Security developments on the ground
Several major conflicts were also expected to feature prominently on the summit agenda, including the war in the DRC, which has driven displacement and famine, the nearly three-year war in Sudan, and renewed fighting in neighbouring South Sudan.
As the summit opened on Saturday, at least four explosions were reported near a government-aligned military base in Dilling, South Kordofan, after drones from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted the city.
Demographics and political instability
Africa accounts for roughly one-fifth of the world’s population, with an estimated 1.4 billion people, including about 400 million aged 15 to 35.
At the same time, the continent is home to some of the world’s longest-serving leaders—often criticised as out of touch—an imbalance that some analysts link to an increase in military takeovers and other undemocratic shifts, especially in parts of West Africa, including Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger, and Guinea-Bissau.
Some observers said the summit could be an opportunity to align continental priorities with international partners, amid broader debate about a “new world order”, shifting alliances, and increased attention toward China.
