The leaderships and officials of the AU Commission, observers of the Summit have continued entering into Ethiopia, Addis Ababa to take part in the 40th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) which will be followed by the 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.
Over the past two years, the summits were carried out supported by virtual alternatives owing to the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus pandemic. And this year’s AU Summit will be the first conference that is carried out in person after two years.
Understandably, aside from the continued threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, the past two years have been one of the moments Africa has been entangled in a number of pressing issues. The unwarranted interferences of some western powers on Africans’ matters, machinated plots and pressures by forces that aspire to impose neocolonialism on countries of the continent, conflict and instability among others have tested the continent greatly.
On the other way around, the years can be considered as Africa’s heydays that have yielded numerous monumental successes for the peoples of Africa in terms of opposing boldly the unjustifiable pressure and interferences of Western powers on countries of Africa. Especially, the just-ended year can be celebrated as a time that the idea of ‘Pan Africanism’ has revived and reverberated worldwide; and Africa has shown its stances to the United Nations Security Council in various cases including by urging to have a permanent representation in the Council. The #NoMore Movement that has been ignited like a wildfire across the African continent and even beyond is the best testament in this regard.
The Movement though was first initiated to condemn the interference of the Western powers including US and the concerted misinformation campaign of foreign media houses against Ethiopia; it has united not only Africans, but also black people and compelled them to stand as one to say boldly “No more.” The movement that has gained the attention of billions of people around the world has also conveyed an important powerful message to global powers.
Due to this and other reasons, the 35th AU Summit that is being carried out on the dawn of the “#NoMore Movement” is crucial for Africa; and is considered as an important platform to settle African challenges by Africans themselves, further kindling the idea of Pan Africanism, let the Africans’ voice be resonate loudly, promoting accelerated all-round regional integration and creating a united, prosperous peaceful and independent Africa.
Therefore, unlike the previous ones, the Summit is expected to be a conference that African states confer continental challenges unwaveringly with genuine dedication; lay a strong foundation that enables Africans solve their own problems by themselves and attain lasting peace and sustainable development in the end; to build the Africa we want.
The February 2/2022
