Addis Ababa is preparing to host the African Summit.. Military coups and granting Israel an observer status at the top of the agenda of African leaders

Preparatory meetings for the 35th summit of the African Union, to be held on Saturday and Sunday, are continuing in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Union on the ruins of the Organization of African Unity.

High on the agenda is the remarkable return of military coups on the continent, and the granting of Israel the status of an observer member, a topic that has created deep divisions among the countries of the organization.

The summit will also discuss ways to address the Corona pandemic, which prevented the two previous summits from being held in attendance.

Senegalese President Macky Sall will assume the rotating presidency of the summit, replacing President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi.

Military coups

For her part, South African Foreign Minister Lindiwe Nonkiba accused unnamed foreign parties of being behind the recent military coups in African countries, considering that the aim is to continue exploiting the continent's resources, as she put it.

"We are very concerned about the instability that we see in several countries, particularly in West Africa, we know that some of this instability is caused by external actors who want to exploit Africa's resources, and we believe that the role of the African Union is important in helping to build greater tools for peace," Nonkiba said. and security, and also in the search for the root causes of instability.

It is scheduled that the file of granting Israel the status of an observer member of the summit will be submitted for ratification, in light of the deep differences between the countries of the organization.

In this regard, South Africa affirmed its opposition to granting Israel the status of an observer member.

Her foreign minister reminded that the union's charters stipulate that no country should support the lands of others, reiterating her country's support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost of which is the establishment of their independent state.