Regional analysts are calling for the swift implementation of resolutions made at the recently concluded African Union (AU) Summit in Ethiopia. The summit was dominated by discussions on escalating conflicts in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan, as well as concerns over the impact of U.S. aid cuts on the continent.
African leaders and delegates from more than 50 countries gathered in Addis Ababa for the 38th AU Summit on Saturday and Sunday.
Leaders at the summit called for dialogue to end conflicts in the DRC and Sudan and renewed calls to merge two existing peace processes — the Rwanda Process and the Nairobi Peace Process — to streamline negotiations between the DRC government and M23 rebels.
Bankole Adeoye is the AU commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security, expressed concerns about the escalation of the conflict in the DRC.
“We are all very, very concerned about the risk of an open regional war over eastern DRC,” Adeoye said. “We have reiterated the need for caution and called on the M23 rebels and their supporters to disarm and withdraw.”
More than 3,000 people have been killed in clashes between government forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group. The rebels have captured large Congolese cities, including Goma and Bukavu.
African leaders also condemned human rights violations caused by the nearly two-year conflict in Sudan.
But security analyst Senator Iroegbu said African leaders need to match words with action this time.
“If what’s happening in DRC is not well managed it will escalate,” Iroegbu said. “[It’s] not just issuing a communique at the end of the meeting; it should be followed up with some strategic measures or plans to ensure that they bring some of these issues to the table and set up mediation teams and let’s look for African solutions to African problems.”
Beyond security, leaders further addressed the impact of climate change and food security on the continent, while demanding reparations for centuries of slavery and colonialism.
John Mahama, president of the Republic of Ghana, said the economic impact of colonialism has been profound.
“The continent lost trillions of dollars in both human and material resources due to colonial exploitation,” he said. “Today the descendants of enslaved Africans continue to face economic disparities, social inequality, systemic discrimination and racial prejudices. Addressing these challenges [requires] more than just acknowledging them, it demands action.”
African leaders also discussed the impact of U.S. aid cuts, urging the continent to focus on self-sufficiency and domestic funding for development projects.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organization, spoke to Lagos-based Channels Television on the sidelines of the summit.
“Africa we really need to change our mindsets — access to aid I think we can think of it as a thing of the past,” she said. “We really have to focus on two things — attracting investments and mobilizing our own domestic resources. I think that is the theme that is running through almost all the meetings here at the AU.”
Many observers will be watching to see how quickly African leaders move to implement summit resolutions.
But analysts warn that delays in securing peace in Sudan and Congo could lead to more casualties and prolonged instability.
