African leaders on Saturday urged the international community to intervene immediately to halt the war in Sudan.
The 39th African Union Summit opened in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, at the level of heads of state and government. The agenda includes discussions on the war in Sudan, terrorism in the Sahel region, and broader issues related to security, energy, and water across the continent.
Angolan President and outgoing Chairperson of the African Union, João Lourenço, called during the presidential handover ceremony to his Burundian counterpart for collective action to resolve the conflict in Sudan. “The guns must be silenced in Africa, and effective solutions must be put in place, especially for the continent’s protracted conflicts. We will continue working to resolve the complex conflicts that have devastated Sudan and the Congo, and to settle the dispute between the army and the Rapid Support Forces,” he said.
Lourenço stated that the conflict in Sudan has resulted in an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and massive displacement, stressing the need for the world to fulfill its responsibility toward Sudan and pay attention to developments there. He also called on global leaders to help the Sudanese people achieve peace and ensure their security.
For his part, the newly elected Chairperson of the African Union and President of Burundi, Évariste Ndayishimiye, affirmed his commitment to addressing the situations in Sudan, eastern Congo, Somalia, and other conflict zones. He noted that these crises harm the continent as a whole, undermine economic stability, and cost the lives of thousands of young people.
