The African Union claims a conflict-mediator role and rejects foreign interference

Peace and security in Africa have become two of the main topics of debate and reflection in the context of the 33rd Ordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) held in the Ethiopian capital under the slogan ‘Silencing the Guns’. African leaders have expressed their concern about the Libyan crisis and have claimed that they want "an immediate end to foreign interference" in the country's affairs.

In recent weeks, the EU and the African Union have warned of the spiral of instability that Libya has been in, since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. This political and social crisis has been manifested in a confrontation between the unity government, led by Fayez Serraj and based in Tripoli, and another administration headed by Haftar, which launched an offensive on the capital in April 2019. The negotiations between the belligerent factions in Libya ended on Saturday without a ceasefire agreement. The UN has proposed a second round of conversations for 18 February.

African Union leaders have committed themselves on Monday to push for peace in Libya, a decision that stems from the institution's desire to play a greater role in resolving the continent's conflicts. "It’s time to stop this situation. The UN and the African Union must work together to achieve this goal," emphasised AU Peace and Security Commissioner Smail Chergui during a press conference at the end of the summit. Meanwhile, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who assumed the AU Presidency on Sunday in place of Egyptian President Abdelfatah al-Sisi, has said that Libya is one of two conflicts he wants to focus on during his term in office. The other is South Sudan, where a civil war began in 2013. This country is suffering the consequences of a conflict that has caused the death of hundreds of people.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres admitted Saturday that he understood the AU's "frustration" about being " sidelined" in finding a solution to the conflict in Libya, a decision that has been criticized by African leaders. In response, Smail Chergui, has announced that the AU wants to be part of an observer mission to ensure that any agreement is respected. "This is an African problem," he insisted during the press conference.

In the meantime, the different meetings held in the margins of the African Union summit have not succeeded in resolving the dispute over the number of states in South Sudan, a disagreement that could block the formation of the Government of Unity scheduled for 22 February. As part of the African summit, Southern Sudanese President Salva Kiir and top rebel leader Riek Machar met with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, according to local media reports. Hamdok is the current chairman of the eight-member East African bloc called IGAD and is responsible for leading peace negotiations in the region.

"We should act urgently to silence the guns," said the current AU President on Monday during the closing day of the summit.  Seven years after African leaders committed themselves to ending conflicts on the African continent, the African Union must continue to work to fulfil this promise. Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo believes that it’s now more necessary than ever to work towards silencing the weapons in order to demonstrate "Africa's potential" and promote "the development of our region". For this reason, the AU has called for an extraordinary summit in South Africa next May to discuss issues such as peace in Libya. 

In the framework of this summit, a meeting of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) was also held in Ethiopia, under the title ‘Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment: A Pathway to the Africa We Want’. This summit has created the route to promote the inclusion of women in the implementation of Africa’s Agenda. In her opening speech, the First Lady of Niger, Aïssata Issoufou Mahamadou, insisted on the fact that this organization is aware and convinced that “the development of Africa can’t be achieved without African women”. Although there has been progress, Africa has many challenges ahead. Silencing the guns is possible, but only if the more than fifteen armed conflicts that plague this region are ended. The AU is currently facing a period of uncertainty, where the main objective is to get one step closer to achieving the much-desired peace in the continent.