ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (TBEN) — African leaders meet Saturday at a summit expected to discuss the continent’s most pressing challenges, including a new wave of coups in West Africa and a slow response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The African Union, which turns 20 in July, has often been criticized for its apparent inconsistencies in its response to sporadic crises on the continent of 1.3 billion people. The move came after the West African regional bloc ECOWAS suspended Burkina Faso. The new wave of coups in West Africa began in 2020 in Mali, followed by another in Guinea the following year, then in Burkina Faso at the end of January. The International Crisis Group said in a statement that securing a ceasefire in Ethiopia, supporting dialogue in the Sahel and reforming the African Union mission in Somalia should be among the priorities of the African Union this year.

Source: Ethiopian News February 05, 2022 09:38 UTC