African leaders urge end to fighting in Sudan, humanitarian aid
February 15, 2025 (ADDIS ABABA) – African leaders and international officials warned on Saturday against the continuing fighting in Sudan, calling for a halt to the violence and the delivery of humanitarian aid to millions of hungry people.
The 38th African Union Summit began on Saturday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. African presidents, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and representatives from European and Gulf countries participated widely.
Sudan was absent from the African summit for the fourth year in a row due to the suspension of its membership in the continental body as a result of the coup carried out by the military in October 2021.
Representatives from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and the United States participated in the opening session.
The presidency of the African Union was transferred from Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani to Angolan President Joao Lourenco.
Several leaders and international officials spoke in separate speeches about the war in Sudan and the devastating crisis that Sudan is experiencing due to the fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces.
Advice for al-Burhan
The outgoing African Union President, Mauritanian President Mohamed Cheikh El Ghazouani, called for bold decisions to be taken and the Malabo summit decisions on African peace and security to be implemented, especially regarding unconstitutional changes.
Al-Ghazouani stressed that he discussed the need to stop hostilities in Sudan with the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, during the latter’s visit to Mauritania in mid-January.
For his part, the African Union President for 2025, Joao Lourenco, President of Angola, affirmed the resolution of the issue of unconstitutional changes in the continent, embodying cooperation between the countries of the continent and making efforts to build the Africa that African citizens aspire to.
He said that the continent faces serious challenges related to peace and security, which hinder many paths in favor of countries. He stressed the need to work on all the problems of the continent to find appropriate solutions to establish peace and security.
A crossroads
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the continent is facing challenges and a crossroads that require collective determination, adaptability, and unity.
Abiy called for healing the wounds and working to remove the obstacles that have affected the continent’s development, saying: “We do not need handouts and alms. We must put an end to the exploitation of our natural resources and set rules for the path of transformation to overcome the imbalances of the past and the injustices of our societies, and compensation that does not need speeches but initiatives.”
He pointed to the continent’s complex regional situations, calling for cooperation to resolve them, develop African solutions to confront them and protect the continent’s sovereignty.
Proxy war
The outgoing African Union Commissioner, Moussa Faki, said that the continent has witnessed violent transformations and fluctuations during the past period, in addition to a decline in investment and an increase in violence.
He reported that the war between Russia and Ukraine “made matters worse,” as it exacerbated the situation and led to a bipolarity that revived the Cold War era and spread pessimism and commercial opportunism, which affected the access of some countries of the continent to grain.
In his speech, the Commissioner referred to the Sudanese crisis, in addition to the crisis in the Congo, saying: “The continent is witnessing dispersion and fragmentation due to proxy wars and the expansion of terrorism and organized crime if we take into account the war in Sudan and the Congo.”
He pointed to the high displacement resulting from these repercussions and their impact on the fragile security situation, noting the spread of hotbeds of tension and conflict, which is evidence of the continent’s worsening conditions.
He described the suffering of the Palestinian people as a great shame, stressing that they are being subjected to the most heinous types of injustice amid the world’s silence while some are calling for their expulsion from their land.
Faki stressed the importance of confronting the urgent issues in the international arena and the need for a comprehensive national dialogue.
The Commissioner criticized several African Peace and Security Council decisions, stressing that they are unacceptable to some member states and include unacceptable behaviour by some states based on direct interests.
He stressed the need to apply the texts in response to unconstitutional changes strictly. He continued: “We cannot continue to work in this way and there are many violations that harm our credibility.”
He considered that the issue of financing the organization is not in line with the establishment of bodies that need funding, stressing that the organization is based on a set of complex factors and existing problems.
In the same context, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that Sudan is now torn apart and is witnessing the largest displacement and famine with the approach of Ramadan in this war and a ceasefire must be reached. He called on the international community to stand up to stop the flow of weapons and bloodshed.
He pointed out that Africa was excluded from the creation of international institutions such as the Security Council. There is no justification for not permanently representing Africa in the Security Council, and we will work to find two permanent seats for Africa in the Council.
In a related context, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced, in his speech at the opening session of the African Leaders’ Summit, his rejection of calls for the displacement of the Palestinian people.
He stressed that if the United States wants a solution, it is the return of the Palestinians to their cities and villages.
He added: “Those who think they will conclude a new century deal or displace the Palestinian people are delusional.”
The summit witnessed bilateral meetings between African leaders and leaders, and various consultations were held between countries on many issues.
Before the start of the summit, Chadian President Mohamed Kaka entered into a long conversation with the UAE representative, Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, inside the Nelson Mandela Hall, the main hall of the summit.