Sudan affirmed its rejection and objection to the decision of the Chairperson of the African Commission, Moussa Faki Mohamed, to grant Israel "observer status" in the African Union, before consulting with member states.
The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an official statement, "We affirm that the ministry's work is based on institutionalization, and that its position is clear regarding the attempt to give Israel the status of an observer member of the African Union, before consulting with member states, and that this matter created a dispute between the Commission and the members."
The statement added that this is an unacceptable approach that contradicts the efforts and principles of the African Union, and ignites the spirit of cooperation, mutual respect and consensus.
And on Thursday, the 39th regular session of the Executive Council of the African Union Commission kicked off and lasts for two days, and the session is scheduled to discuss the commission’s decision to grant Israel observer status in the union, according to media outlets.
On August 3, 7 Arab countries informed the African Union of their objection to its decision to grant Israel observer status in the continental organization.
And the media reported that the embassies of Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Tunisia, Djibouti, Mauritania and Libya in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa (the headquarters of the Union) submitted a verbal note to the Chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki.
The memo stated objecting to the decision to accept Israel as an observer member of the union, stressing the rejection of this step in light of the union's support for the Palestinian cause.
African split
In a related context, a diplomatic source revealed to Al-Jazeera correspondent in Ethiopia that the member states of the African Union are witnessing an unprecedented division against the background of the acceptance of Israel by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission as an observer member.
The source added that 25 African countries demanded the Chairperson of the Commission to withdraw the decision to grant Israel membership as an observer from the African Union Commission.
According to the source, the side efforts to find a way out of the membership crisis of an observer for Israel have failed in light of the two sides' adherence to their positions.
On July 22, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Israel's ambassador to Ethiopia, Admasu Al-Ali, presented his credentials as an observer member to the African Union, without clarifying the background to this development.
On the 25th of the same month, the Algerian Foreign Ministry announced, in a statement, its refusal to accept Israel as a new observer in the union, stressing that the decision was taken without consultations.
Out of 22 Arab countries, only 6 have declared official relations with Israel, namely Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.