The chair of the African Union Commission (AUC) has called on leaders to tackle conflicts in the continent, and condemned a series of coups in some African countries. Wars in Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo are at the top of the African bloc's agenda. The conflict between Israel and Hamas, poverty, climate change and education are other key topics to be discussed.
In his remarks to delegates at the summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, Mr Faki - who heads the AU's secretariat which manages the day-to-day activities of the bloc - said he was extremely worried about a "litany of difficulties" facing the region. He said Sudan was "bruised, torn, sinking into chaos" from a war that has been raging since 2023, Libya was divided and exposed to foreign interference, and the Sahel region was facing a dangerous power vacuum. He expressed concern over the fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo, saying the conflict in the east of the country was leading to a worsening of its "eternal crises"