{"id":4762,"date":"2026-02-15T04:23:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T04:23:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/home\/au-urges-end-to-extermination-of-palestinians"},"modified":"2026-02-15T04:59:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T04:59:58","slug":"au-urges-end-to-extermination-of-palestinians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/au-urges-end-to-extermination-of-palestinians","title":{"rendered":"AU Urges End to Extermination of Palestinians"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. <\/strong> <\/span>The chair of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, said the \u201cextermination\u201d of the Palestinian people must end, as dozens of heads of state gathered in Addis Ababa for the African Union\u2019s 39th summit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the Middle East, Palestine and the suffering of its people also challenge our consciences. The extermination of this people must stop,\u201d Youssouf said on Saturday.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s war on Gaza has killed at least 72,045 people and wounded 171,686 since October 2023, and continues despite a \u201cceasefire\u201d.<\/p>\n

Conflicts across Africa<\/b><\/p>\n

Youssouf also addressed multiple conflicts across the continent, calling for the \u201csilencing of the guns\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The summit brought together leaders from the African Union\u2019s 55 member states over two days. The meeting was expected to focus on wars and security, governance challenges, threats to democracy, and climate change\u2014alongside priorities such as sanitation and water-linked climate shocks.<\/p>\n

UN message and Security Council reform<\/b><\/p>\n

In a summit address, the United Nations secretary-general described the African Union as a \u201cflagship for multilateralism\u201d at a time of global \u201cdivision and mistrust\u201d.<\/p>\n

He also renewed calls for a permanent African seat on the UN Security Council, arguing that the lack of permanent representation is \u201cindefensible\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is 2026, not 1946. Whatever decisions about the African world are made around the table, Africa must be at the table,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Water, development, and regional pressures<\/b><\/p>\n

This year\u2019s summit theme focused on water and sanitation. Ethiopia\u2019s prime minister highlighted water conservation as a central development issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWater is more than just a resource. It is a foundation of development, innovation and stability,\u201d he said. \u201cHere in Ethiopia, we have learned that responsible water management is central to guiding development wisely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Across Africa, water pressures intersect with interstate disputes\u2014such as tensions over the Nile\u2014as 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.<\/p>\n

Despite water being a key theme, unresolved issues from last year\u2014such as reduced global aid\u2014remain a concern, with warnings that funding is not reaching people in need.<\/p>\n

Security developments on the ground<\/b><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Demographics and political instability<\/b><\/p>\n

Africa accounts for roughly one-fifth of the world\u2019s population, with an estimated 1.4 billion people, including about 400 million aged 15 to 35.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the continent is home to some of the world\u2019s longest-serving leaders\u2014often criticised as out of touch\u2014an 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.<\/p>\n

Some observers said the summit could be an opportunity to align continental priorities with international partners, amid broader debate about a \u201cnew world order\u201d, shifting alliances, and increased attention toward China.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Africa<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. The chair of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, said the \u201cextermination\u201d of the Palestinian people must end, as dozens of heads of state gathered in Addis Ababa for the African Union\u2019s 39th summit. \u201cIn the Middle East, Palestine and the suffering of its people also challenge our consciences. The extermination of this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":4761,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[120],"class_list":{"0":"post-4762","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-policy","8":"tag-africa"},"yoast_head":"\nAU Urges End to Extermination of Palestinians - Africa Press English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"-article-header-tag"> Africa-Press. 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