African Union: What Key Issues Does It Face Today?

The theme of this year's African Union Summit, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations,” draws attention to the enduring legacies of exploitation that have shaped Africa, from the transatlantic slave trade to the arbitrary borders imposed during colonial rule and the ongoing extraction of its natural resources. These despicable acts continue to haunt Africa's economic development, political stability, and social cohesion; by making reparations a central focus, the AU reaffirms its commitment to tackling these age-long issues and offers the continent a chance to reclaim its future on its own terms.

However, the AU's call for justice is impressive as Sudan seeks to deepen its strategic relationship with a trusted friend, Russia. Under the leadership of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the North African state is aligning itself with Moscow to secure economic and developmental assistance for post-conflict reconstruction.

Moreover, the escalating situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo shows another pressing issue for Africa—how ongoing conflict, particularly in the eastern part of the country, destabilizes local and regional peace efforts. These unfolding dynamics illustrate the complexity of Africa's challenges as it moves toward the equitable and sustainable future it dreams of.

On the sidelines of the 38th AU Summit, Sputnik Africa's correspondent spoke with two top government officials for African Currents. South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, highlighted the AU's efforts to fight colonial legacies and strengthen its capacity.

"Since the AU [African Union] was formed, it is addressing issues of neo-colonialism in terms of development in the continent. And that’s why with the resolution on Africa [Continental] Free Trade Area to reintegrate the continent, for the continent to grow economically and also calling for value on our natural resources in the continent, silencing the guns, building our own internal capacity to respond to our own economic and social stability," Lamola said.

Furthermore, the President of Botswana, His Excellency Duma Boko, asserted his country's plans for economic diversification through forging strong partnerships with other nations.

"Our foreign policy is about promoting partnerships, sustainable, durable, long-term partnerships that enable us to bring in expertise, skills, and resources, which we deploy in other sectors away from, in particular, the diamond industry. We will diversify within the mineral sector and outside of it. We’ve pinned our growth on two key matters. First is the green economy, climate, smart agriculture. And we’ve set ourselves a lofty and ambitious target. In the budget speech, it says we must have 30% of our energy coming from renewables by 2030," Boko stated.

During his recent visit to Moscow to discuss Russia-Sudan relations with his counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Yousuf Ahmed al-Sharif praised Russia as a reliable ally and its efforts to help Sudan find a lasting solution to its current challenges.

"We are discussing the role of Russia in the future. But also, the role in the future will be based on what we have now in our hands vis-a-vis the cooperation between Sudan and Russia [...]. We already have a couple of very important projects that are underway, and we have a very important investment from the Russian side [...]. Actually, Russia is going to be one of our main partners in the area of development. We also think that Russia can help us in the area of the reconstruction of the Sudan," al-Sharif remarked.

Dr. Anslem Wongibeh Adunimay, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, provided an expert analysis of the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He traced its root causes to the DRC's mineral wealth, which he claimed is being exploited by Rwanda and foreign commodity-trading companies.

To find out what else our guest had to say, tune in to the African Currents podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.

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