The "extermination" of the Palestinian people must end, the chairman of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, said on Saturday as he launched the organization’s 39th summit in Ethiopia’s capital of Addis Ababa.
"In the Middle East, Palestine and the suffering of its people also challenge our consciences. The extermination of this people must stop," said Youssouf, who was elected to head the institution a year ago.
He also touched on the multiple conflicts raging in Africa.
"From Sudan to the Sahel, to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in Somalia and elsewhere, our people continue to pay the heavy price of instability," Youssouf said.
The summit brings together heads of state from the 55 member states of the African Union over two days.
This year's theme is water sanitation. Discussions will feature the continent’s response to climate change and humanitarian crises following foreign aid cuts from international partners such as the United States.
Observers say the AU Summit will provide an opportunity to align continental priorities with international partners, especially at a time of discussions around a ‘new world order’ stirred by US President Donald Trump with foreign leaders signaling shifting global alliances.
