The Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, has witnessed the 28th African Union Summit over the past two days, amidst precise arrangements, including a security presence from the federal police in the city’s main streets, which were decorated with the flags of the participating countries.

This security alert came as a result of the state of emergency that Ethiopia has been experiencing since last October, due to the protests that took place in a number of cities in the Oromo and Amhara regions. However, the level of security arrangements did not negatively affect the workflow and flow of traffic for the delegations, which were also characterised by normality.

The African Summit was full of remarkable scenes in terms of events, organization and participation.

• Arrangement and organization:

The summit began with a closed session for the heads of state and government of African countries, the second time an African summit has begun with this type of session.

• The opening session was delayed by more than an hour and a half, which observers attributed to differences over the adoption of the summit agenda.

• The opening session took a long time, reaching two hours and a quarter, compared to previous summits, whose opening sessions did not take one hour.

*Media coverage and participation:

The summit was attended by 37 African presidents, three vice presidents, three deputy prime ministers, 49 foreign ministers and more than 4,000 other people, filling the African Union building and the Nelson Mandela Hall where the summit was held.

The participants were led by the new UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and the summit guest, Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdes Mesa.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn (52 years old) was the youngest president among the participants, while the oldest was Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (93 years old).

The media participation was remarkable, with the attendance of 450 journalists from various local and international media agencies, including 380 from outside Ethiopia.

• First time participating faces

• Moroccan King Mohammed VI

He attended the summit for the first time since Morocco withdrew from the African Union 33 years ago in protest against the latter's acceptance of the membership of the Polisario Front, which demands the separation of the Sahara from Morocco.

The Moroccan King's presence in Ethiopia drew attention, despite his non-participation in the opening of the summit. He led a delegation of 400 figures and hosted a dinner for the African presidents and leaders who attended the summit.

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

He participated in the summit for the first time since assuming his new position early this year, succeeding the former Ban Ki-moon. He stole the spotlight at the summit and held side meetings with 18 heads of state.

• President of Gambia "Adama Barrow"

He assumed his new position days before the summit following a political crisis in the country after former President Yahya Jammeh refused to step down and hand power over to him, before the latter agreed to relinquish power after the success of mediation between Mauritanian President Abdel Aziz and Guinean President Condé.

• Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo

He took office in the first week of last month after defeating former President John Dramani Mahama in elections held late last year.

• President of Seychelles Danny Mole

He took office last October following the resignation of former President James Michel, who was his first vice president.

• Participation of Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdes Mesa as a guest of honor at the 28th African Summit. In his speech, he expressed the spirit of brotherhood and sincerity with Africans and their pioneering role, praising Africa’s role in supporting his country. He said that his country looks forward to working with Africa in international forums.

Farewell to some characters and welcome others

• Outgoing Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dlamini Zuma:

She delivered a brief speech during the opening session of the summit, which was her last after the end of her term, expressing Africa's aspiration to work with the UN Secretary-General in various fields, especially in peace and security, combating "terrorism", and resolving the conflicts witnessed by the continent in various regions of the continent.

Zuma called on the Liberian president to present her with an honorary medal at the end of her term on the podium, contrary to the established protocol for it to be presented by the session's president.

In a striking scene, Zuma danced in the Nelson Mandela Hall, while young men and women sang for Africa for more than two minutes.

• The new chairman of the African Union, Guinean President Alpha Condé

The summit elected 80-year-old Conde as president for the new 2017 session, succeeding Chadian President Idriss Deby.

Some considered his election to be in conflict with the summit's slogan, "Harnessing the demographic dividend through investment in youth."

• Chadian President Idriss Deby, the African Union chairman who handed over the presidency to his Guinean successor, was the star of the summit through his speeches and the compliments he received during other speeches at the summit.

Summit atmosphere

• For the first time, delegations from Egypt, Ethiopia and Djibouti were brought together, despite the recent tensions in relations between them.

• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi appeared, unusually, with a small number of his guards.

• 17 wives of presidents preceded their husbands in entering the Nelson Mandela Hall at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, which hosted the summit.

• Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was the last to arrive in Addis Ababa, and he shook hands with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam and spoke with him for more than a minute before the summit began.

• The applause was an expressive presence, as the participants interrupted the UN Secretary-General with applause when he criticized the US administration for preventing refugees from entering it.

• The audience also interrupted the Palestinian President with applause when he praised the position of the African Group (Senegal, Angola, and Egypt) in the Security Council for voting in favor of Resolution No. (2334), which condemns Israeli settlements.

• The leftist heritage in Africa is still strong as the Cuban vice president was warmly received and Zuma devoted parts of her speech to the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

• The Addis Ababa Summit was an all-male summit, with a low participation of women, who did not exceed 800.

• Ethiopia has regained its footing following the turmoil that preceded the summit, with Prime Minister Hailemariam meeting 21 heads of state and topping the list of side meetings.

• The summit’s slogan (Harnessing the demographic dividend through investment in youth) was well received by all speakers at the opening session, although youth constitute 60% of Africa’s population, they are absent from power.

• During the closed sessions that witnessed the election of the Commission’s Chairman and Deputy Chairman, hundreds stood outside the hall to follow what was happening inside, as tension prevailed as voting continued and unprecedented measures were imposed, preventing anyone from leaving the hall except for the presidents or foreign ministers to prevent leaks. The union succeeded in isolating journalists from reaching the halls.

• The African Union for the second time prevented observers from participating in the summit (75 member states are observers in the African Union), and only ambassadors accredited to Ethiopia were allowed to participate in the opening and closing sessions, with the exception of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Palestinian President, and the Cuban Vice President. The reasons for the decision were fear of interference in the electoral process witnessed by the African Union.

• The absence of the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, from the African summit, although it is customary for the League’s representative to attend African summits.

• Morocco stole the spotlight at the summit and topped the news bulletin. The closed session to discuss Rabat’s return to the union witnessed tensions between supporters and opponents, while African wisdom prevailed and the decision to approve the return was made by consensus.