The 37th African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government Summit opened on Saturday, February 24, in Addis Ababa. Major issues that need to be addressed include tensions related to unconstitutional changes, military coups and conflicts that are rising across the continent.
Published on: February 17, 2024 – 3:51 p.m
2 minutes
With our special correspondent in Addis Ababa, Sidy Yansane
Several heads of state and government have already spoken on African issues, but also on international issues.
Ethiopian Prime Minister and summit host Abiy Ahmed was the first head of state to speak. In his speech, he highlighted Africa's progress since the end of the colonial era and the challenges the continent now faces. Firstly, the education of all their children, the theme of this 37th Summit, climate change and the need to reform the global financial architecture, currently to the detriment of the countries of the South and their development. Comoros Azali Assoumani echoed this position and advocated the concept of the “blue economy”, which the Comoros archipelago sees as an important development lever.
And from now on Africa also wants to influence world events, especially since it has been a member of the G20 since September last year.
When it came to international issues, the speeches focused on the situation in the Middle East and in particular the war in Gaza. The Secretary General of the Arab League condemned a “barbaric” war and “ethnic cleansing” by Israel. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was eventually represented by his prime minister, who made a particularly insulting statement against the Jewish state and thanked the African Union for representing the voice of Palestine.
And then that summit's guest of honor, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, received special applause and pointed out that half of Brazil's 200 million people say they are of Afro-descendant descent. He defended the need for a new world order in which Africa must play a leading role.
Finally, Mauritania has been confirmed as the rotating presidency of the African Union for the next twelve months and Angola will hold the vice presidency.
In his speech, Moussa Faki Mahamat, President of the AU Commission, emphasized the urgency of the crises currently undermining the continent
Sidy Yansane
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