The "extermination" of the Palestinian people must end, the chairman of the African Union Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said on Saturday (February 14, 2026) as he launched the organisation's 39th summit. The extermination of this people must stop," said Mr. Youssouf, who was elected to head the institution a year ago. Since then, at least 71,667 Palestinians have been killed in the small coastal territory by Israel's retaliatory military campaign, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. "From Sudan to the Sahel, to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in Somalia and elsewhere, our people continue to pay the heavy price of instability," Mr. Youssouf said. The summit brings together heads of state from the 55 member states of the African Union over two days.

Source: The Hindu February 14, 2026 15:31 UTC