By Coletta Wanjohi in Addis Ababa
African leaders have convened for the annual African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, with a focus on justice and reparations for abuses committed during slavery and colonialism by European powers.
The theme for this year's summit is “Justice for African and People of African Descent Through Reparations”.
The heads of state will also discuss key regional and continental issues, including peace and security, economic integration and institutional reforms.
Not all heads of state have attended. Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi is absent after Rwandan-backed forces seized a second major city on his territory. Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka is representing the country instead
'Call for justice'
“The demand for reparations is not about charity or financial aid it is a call for justice. It seeks to restore the dignity of millions and heal the deep scars of poverty inequality and discrimination,” Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said..
African leaders will be pushing for retention of some of the profits from foreign-owned resource extraction companies that are often criticised for minimal contribution to local economies.
They will also seek the establishment of a process that leads to a global acknowledgment of the harms of slavery and colonialism on the continent, and outline steps to right the wrongs faced by current societies.
“Decolonization on itself was not a panacea, political independence did not free countries from structures based on exploitational and decades of economic social and institutional under-investment. It is high time for reparatory justice frameworks to be put in place,” UN secretary general Antonio Gutteres told the AU assembly.
UN structure unfair
The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the structure of the United Nations was itself unfair to Africa.
“There is no excuse that Africa still lacks permanent representation at the Security Council in the 21st century.
"I will keep working with African Union and all members states to ensure the representation that Africa needs and the justice you deserve, including two permanent members of the security council,” Gutteres told the AU assembly.
Africa stands with Palestine
The African Union has expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine.
“In the Middle East the brotherly people of Palestine suffer and continue to suffer one of the most horrible wars in mankind,” Moussa Faki Mahamat, the outgoing African Union Commission chairperson, told the assembly.
He described Israel's war on Gaza an indescribable shame for the whole mankind.
“In spite of all these, the valiant Palestinian people remain stoic and the African Union remains firmly by the side of the Palestine people,” Faki has added.
Palestine's President Mahmoud Abbas was invited at the summit as a show of solidarity to the Palestine cause.
President Abbas told the summit that Palestine rejects a proposal by US president Donald Trump to take over the Gaza Strip and resettle Palestinians elsewhere.
“We hear calls of deporting our people from their lands and affecting the sovereignty of other countries. These calls are made to distract the world from war crimes and the genocide and the destruction in Gaza,” President Abbas said.
Abbas said the aim of such plans was to destroy the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
New leadership at AU
The summit will elect a new chairperson and deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission, with Kenya, Madagascar and Djibouti vying for the top seat.
Moussa Faki Mahamat from Chad is bowing out after serving for eight years.
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