Calm returned to the corridors of the African Union (AU) headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, after two days of discussion and meetings in the framework of the first African Summit to be held in the glass building since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
Those meetings hoped to tackle decisive decisions to confront a “wave” of military coups that had swept the continent for months, but the Summit was satisfied with condemning any change of government outside the constitutional systems.
Moreover, AU leaders agreed to suspend debate on the controversial decision to accept the accreditation of Israel, postponing a potentially divisive vote.
“Every African leader in the assembly has condemned unequivocally... the wave of unconstitutional changes of government,” Bankole Adeoye, head of the AU’s Peace and Security Council, told a press conference Sunday.
“Do your research: At no time in the history of the African Union have we had four countries in one calendar year, in 12 months, been suspended,” Adeoye said.
Less than two weeks before the summit began Saturday, Burkina Faso became the fourth country to be suspended by the AU after disgruntled soldiers toppled President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.
Guinea, Mali and Sudan are also currently suspended.
The first day of the Summit had discussed the development of a “new approach” for achieving peace and security on the continent, but the final communique did not address this approach.
Adeoye said that African leaders discussed the future of the “Silencing the Guns” initiative they launched in 2013 to end conflicts in Africa by 2020. However, the AU was forced to change the time limit on the initiative to the year 2030 because of challenges it faced on the ground and growing tensions in the continent.
“Guns cannot be silenced and peace on the continent cannot be achieved without good governance,” said Adeoye.
“We will do everything in our power as a commission with African leaders to prevent these coups and strengthen security structures in the countries of the continent,” he added.
