Addis Ababa hosted the African Union’s Executive Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs from Feb. 14, to Feb. 15. Coordinating and making decisions on policies in areas of shared interest for Member States is the role of the Council of Ministers.
The effects of climate change, military coups making a comeback, violence before and after elections, and war-related humanitarian crises were emphasized. Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chair of the AU Commission, believed that “they pose a serious threat to tarnish the signs of the emergence of the Africa of which we are proud.”
The Comoros Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, who also serves as the Chair of the Executive Council, emphasised that violent extremism, terrorism, and unconstitutional government changes pose a threat to democratic processes. “We have spared no effort to find a lasting solution to the various crises that are currently affecting the continent. In Cairo, Addis Ababa and Djibouti, the war in Sudan has mobilized energies to bring the positions of the warring parties closer together,” Dhoihir Dhoulkamal said.
During the two-day ministerial session, the topic of the growing fissures in regional integration was covered. A “new phenomenon of collapse of institutions of regional and continental governance” was the cause for alarm, according to Faki.
The Economic Community of West African States announced the “immediate” withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger on January 28.
