Military escalation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and a humanitarian crisis “unprecedented in Africa” are dominating the African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged dialogue between warring parties in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It comes hours after the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group entered the northern outskirts of the eastern city of Bukavu. “There is no military solution. The crisis must end, and dialogue must begin,” he said, amid fears the fighting could escalate into a wider regional conflict. He called for an end to the flow of weapons into Sudan to protect civilians, referring to “an unprecedented humanitarian crisis on the African continent.”

He also stressed that peace in the Middle East is possible, noting that this begins with a two-state solution. Guterres added, before a summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, that the Palestinian people “have suffered more than necessary.” The UN Secretary-General stressed the need to “avoid a resumption of fighting in Gaza at all costs.”

Angolan President João Lorenzo took over the presidency of the African Union from his predecessor, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, as part of the two-day summit. A new chairman of the African Union Commission is expected to be elected to replace Chadian Moussa Faki, as part of an institutional reform process expected to take place at the 38th summit.

Three candidates from the East African bloc are competing for the position: former Kenyan President Raila Odinga, Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and former Madagascar Foreign Minister Richard Andrea Mandrato. The winner of the position must obtain the votes of two-thirds of the members, which none of the candidates have so far.

The summit agenda also includes approving the reports of the Peace and Security Council, institutional reform of the Union, and developing the African Free Trade Area project, as well as the pivotal issue of “compensation for the colonial period and slavery.”

The summit sessions, which are held under the theme “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations,” are expected to discuss. The African Union said in its press release that its leaders will discuss establishing a “common, united front” that brings together Africans and the African diaspora to achieve justice and reparations for historical crimes and mass atrocities committed against them, including colonialism, apartheid, genocide and slavery. The leaders are calling for historical recognition of the injustices inflicted on Africans, the return of lands, the preservation of cultural heritage and international responsibility, and reaching common positions on reparations and appeasement.

The summit began with a speech by the outgoing Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, and a speech by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres. The rest of the African leaders are expected to deliver their speeches later.

In his speech, Moussa Faki called for solidarity and action to confront the continent’s political, economic and diplomatic challenges, and to combat health disasters such as “Covid-19”, Ebola and “smallpox”, in addition to what he called progress in the institutional reform of the Union, and expanding partnerships that enhance the credibility of the continent.

Faki also criticized US President Donald Trump's proposal to deport Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Jordan and Egypt, and denounced the silence of major powers on the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. Faki referred to the violent conflicts sweeping the continent, in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as tragedies that concern the continent, and the concerns that may result from them regarding peace, security, governance and political structures.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pledged to work for Africa to obtain a permanent seat on the Security Council, saying, according to the official Ethiopian News Agency: “Africa does not yet have permanent representation on the Security Council, despite its international importance, and the United Nations will work with the African Union and member states to obtain this seat.” Guterres stressed that the current summit is an opportunity to send a message to the world that Africa needs to ease the burdens resulting from historical colonialism.

In turn, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in his opening speech that the summit’s title makes the process of healing the wounds of historical injustice an important task to overcome the suffering that has affected the development of the continent’s peoples, put an end to poverty, discrimination and exploitation of resources, and establish the values of transformation and change to overcome the imbalances of the past and address grievances.

He called for transcending the historical differences resulting from the borders drawn by colonialism, by developing solidarity among all the peoples and nations of the continent, and building a common destiny to benefit from the enormous energies available in Africa.

Armed conflicts in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are expected to occupy a large space in the summit discussions, especially the major escalation of fighting in the two countries in recent days.

On the sidelines of the summit, technical meetings were held yesterday, Friday, to address the Sudanese crisis and the humanitarian situation in the country, and renewed what it described as “the worst humanitarian crisis in the world,” and called on the parties to stop fighting and enter into negotiations between the two warring parties.

The Chairman of the African Union High-Level Committee on Sudan, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, said that the insistence of the two warring parties on military solutions and ignoring a negotiated settlement are the biggest obstacles to resolving the conflict.

In January 2024, the African Union announced a high-level committee of three prominent African figures: the committee’s chair, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, and the membership of former Ugandan Vice President Speciosa Wandira Kazbwe, and former Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission in Somalia, Francisco Madeira. The committee’s mission is to bring together Sudanese “stakeholders” from civilian forces, warring military parties, and regional and international actors to restore the democratic civilian transition, achieve peace and stability, and establish a constitutional system in the country. However, the committee’s work has been hampered by the Sudanese government’s refusal in Port Sudan to return to negotiations and its suspension of its membership in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).