At its annual summit held in Addis Ababa, the African bloc defined the areas where it must strengthen its attention on the continent. Among them, they emphasize that the countries of the region must strengthen political and economic integration and generate contexts to take advantage of the riches of the soil for their own benefit. Another aspect is the intention to mediate in peace and regional balance processes, specifically in the Democratic Republic of Congo and to prevent coups d'état.

First modification: 02/16/2026 - 03:04

This Sunday, February 15, the 39th Ordinary Summit of the African Union concluded in Addis Ababa. In it they agreed on problematic points that should be focused on so that the continent has a better chance of prospering in environments such as the economy and political stability. A meeting that contributed to stating the needs, but that was far from establishing solutions.

The president of the AU Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, pointed out in his speech on Saturday that the turbulent international context has consequences for what happens in Africa. "The upheaval in the international order undoubtedly has a significant impact on the affairs of the continent, not to mention the recurring interference of external actors in our affairs," he warned in the Ethiopian capital.

Leaders from around 40 countries attended the weekend summit. These are the three main axes on which the conclusions revolved.

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Political integration in the face of current multilateralism

Youssouf stated on the opening day of the summit that "Africa must strengthen itself by accelerating its political and economic integration programs" with institutions that should "redouble their efforts and determination."

Along these lines, Joāo Lourenço – president of Angola and outgoing leader of the AU – stressed that it is necessary to implement the African Continental Free Trade Agreement that was launched in 2019.

However, he stressed that there will be no sustained progress if there is no stability and peace on the continent, pointing out the existing sources of tension in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) or Somalia, among others.

On Saturday, the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, and the Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, were present and also supported the idea of ​​promoting improvements on the continent.

For Guterres, it is necessary to "ensure that African countries benefit first and fully from their critical minerals" by setting up a fair and sustainable system.

Crisis management

This Sunday, February 15, the second and last day of the summit, the organization outlined its desire to reform the way it manages security crises and conflicts that exist across the continent.

"We need peace on this continent," Youssouf emphasized, adding that it is necessary to change management in "security problems, peace, economic challenges, trade issues," although he acknowledged that reaching that goal is "very difficult."

Among the main sources of conflict, they emphasized the situation that the DRC has been going through for some time, where the Army maintains clashes with the M23 rebel group.

"It should be in the position and role of leading this mediation, not simply letting external partners try to solve the African problem," Youssouf stressed, adding that it is up to the African Union to "move forward with the mediation and stabilization process in the DRC" after the signing of a peace agreement in Washington last December.

Coups d'état and climate crisis

The third aspect to work on is the continental commitment to stop uprisings against democratically elected governments from proliferating. "The heads of state will have zero tolerance for unconstitutional changes of government," Youssouf warned, in a press conference with the president of Burundi, Évariste Ndayishimiye, who assumed the rotating presidency of the AU.

In his statement, he exemplified the events that took place in the Sahel region, hit by consecutive coups d'état in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, who have created their own alliance and turned their backs on community organizations such as ECOWAS.

"It is very important to understand that we must continue to collaborate with them. The Sahel countries need the support of the entire African Union," he urged.

Meanwhile, they also referred to the climate crisis, one of the great scourges of the region. Being a continent with developing nations, Youssouf stressed that polluting territories should pay and collaborate for the adaptation of African countries.

With EFE

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