African Union Demands an End to “Extermination” of Palestinians

The 39th African Union summit in Addis Ababa positioned the Gaza war alongside Africa’s internal conflicts as parallel tests of international law and regional governance capacity.

Norms Vs Power Politics

AU chief Mahmoud Ali Youssouf told leaders the “extermination of this people must stop,” linking the Palestinian issue to broader questions of international order.

He added that “International law and international humanitarian law are the basis of the international community,” while urging the lifting of the Israeli blockade on humanitarian goods.

The meeting brought together heads of state from 55 member countries over 2 days in Addis Ababa. Mohammad Mustafa arrived on February 13 to attend the gathering. The summit occurred amid a war that has killed at least 72,045 people and wounded 171,686 since October 2023, according to figures cited during the discussions.

Antonio Guterres called the African Union a “flagship for multilateralism,” adding that the absence of a permanent African seat on the UN Security Council is “indefensible.” He declared: “This is 2026, not 1946… Africa must be at the table.”

Silencing the Guns Doctrine

Youssouf broadened the focus to Africa’s security landscape, stating: “From Sudan to the Sahel, to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in Somalia and elsewhere, our people continue to pay the heavy price of instability.”

Fighting was active even as the summit opened, with at least 4 explosions heard near a Sudanese Armed Forces base in Dilling after drone attacks by the Rapid Support Forces.

Conflicts in Sudan, the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and the Sahel formed the security core of the agenda, alongside democratic backsliding.

Several West African states including Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger and Guinea-Bissau have experienced military takeovers in recent years, highlighting governance stress across a continent of roughly 1.4 billion people, including about 400 million aged 15 to 35.

Delegates also discussed funding shortages affecting humanitarian relief, with concerns that global aid reductions limit crisis response capacity.

Leaders also debated a shifting international environment shaped by new alignments and increased attention toward China amid broader geopolitical change.