With the spectra of a regional conflagration rising in eastern DRC, and international bodies increasingly sounding the alarm, the AU has been criticized for its timid approach and observers have demanded more decisive action.
The escalating conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo will dominate an African Union summit that begins today, with the DRC president absent after Rwandan-backed forces seized a second major city on his territory.
The 55-nation body convenes in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Abeba as Africa grapples with devastating conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan, as well as US President Donald Trump’s cuts to development aid, which have disproportionately impacted the continent.
African leaders represent approximately 1.5 billion people in a body that has long been criticized for its sluggishness, inefficiency, and toothless statements.
With the spectra of a regional conflagration rising in eastern DRC, and international bodies increasingly sounding the alarm, the AU has been criticized for its timid approach and observers have demanded more decisive action.
East and southern African leaders on February 8 called for an “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire within five days, but fresh fighting erupted on Tuesday.
Outgoing AU chair Moussa Faki Mahamat told AFP on Friday that “the ceasefire must be observed”, adding there was a “general mobilization” among African nations to stop the clashes.
A meeting of the AU’s Peace and Security Council dedicated to the conflict ran late into the night on Friday.
Source:AFP
