Conflicts in Africa cannot be solved through military solutions and peace and security on the continent “demands a proactive preventative” approach, according to the UN’s Special Representative to the African Union.
Parfait Onanga-Anyanga was speaking at a Security Council meeting focused on the key issues faced by Africa and cooperation between the UN and the African Union (AU) – a continental organisation comprising 55 African Member States.
He warned that “concerns remain in some parts of the continent about the number and complexity of conflicts.”
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He said these conflicts were often worsened by “weak or ineffective State authority, violence extremism conducive to terrorist activities, the inequitable management of natural resources, organized crime, the impact of climate change, acute food insecurity and, in some cases, denial of fundamental human rights.”
Conflicts in the Horn of Africa, Sudan, South Sudan and the Great Lakes region – including the Democratic Republic of the Congo – have caused widespread displacement and multiple humanitarian emergencies.
“No military solution whatsoever can resolve underlying causes of the conflict in the DRC or elsewhere in Africa,” said Mr. Onanga-Anyanga. “I call upon this Council to continue to leverage its influence towards peaceful settlement of outstanding issues between the parties.”
The Special Representative highlighted two critical conflict-related issues to Council members: climate change as a conflict multiplier and the challenges faced by women and girls in battle-scarred regions, noting the consistent spillover effects of climate-induced insecurity across all these crises.
Unprecedented wave of threats
Speaking for the AU, Ambassador Mohamed Fathi Ahmed Edrees told the Council that
“Africa is facing an unprecedented wave of threats to its security” adding that “solutions are needed to achieve greater stability.”
The UN and the AU have long collaborated on issues affecting the continent and according to the UN’s Onanga-Anyanga “significant progress has been made, particularly in supporting recent free, fair, and credible elections across the continent–in Botswana, Ghana, Mauritius, and most recently Malawi, where a new president was inaugurated last week.”
Mr. Onanga-Anyanga said that fostering consensus was more important than ever.
“The strong and enduring partnership between the United Nations and the African Union, as well as with other regional organizations, constitutes the foundation of effective and networked multilateralism, essential to address today’s complex, evolving and interconnected threats to peace, security, development and human rights, particularly in Africa,” he said.
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Responding to armed conflicts
In December 2023, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to enhance cooperation between the UN and AU.
Addressing the Council, Martha Pobee, a UN Assistant Secretary-General with a brief focusing on Africa said that the resolution (2719) was conceived “as a means to address a longstanding gap in the African Union’s peace and security architecture to better to respond to armed conflicts on the African continent, with the support of the broader international community, and this Council in particular.”
Work is continuing on the operationalisation of the resolution across four key workstreams with some progress reported.
Joint planning modalities for AU-led peace support operations were approved in September, establishing a shared decision-making framework.
Mission support planning was also finalized to ensure coherent field operations.
Earlier in the year, the UN outlined financial rules for AU-led missions, now under legislative review.
Progress was also made on compliance and the protection of civilians including strengthening accountability mechanisms and developing gender-responsive policies.
The efforts “seek to ensure that our collaboration is grounded both in strategic vision and in operational practicality,” said Ms. Pobee.
Read the original article on UN News.
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Luanda — Angolan and National Geographic researchers have confirmed the existence of one of the largest water towers in southern Africa in Angola’s central highlands, where major rivers such as the Zambezi, Kwanza, and Congo originate.
The Vice President, Esperança da Costa, announced this on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management SASSCAL 2.0 Scientific Conference, which is themed “From Research to Action: Strengthening Sustainability through Climate Change-Impact Solutions in the Southern African Region.”
According to Vice President da Costa, the tower is an important natural freshwater reservoir on the continent. The objective of SASSCAL’s scientific research and development programs is to transform the “Water Tower of Southern Africa” into an opportunity for science and scientific research.
This will strengthen cooperation in managing water resources and preserving biodiversity. The initiative aims to safeguard the prosperity, stability, and peace of Southern African communities.
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Esperança da Costa highlighted projects such as the Wetlands, the Atlas of Dams and Reservoirs in Southern Africa, and the Graduate Schools program, all of which are aligned with environmental and climate sustainability goals.
The Vice-President said that the results of the Benguela Cold Current Convention (BCC) have been fundamental to the sustainable management of marine resources and the development of the blue economy’s potential through infrastructure and intercontinental connections such as the Lobito Corridor. These connections facilitate cross-border trade and strengthen economic diversification, sovereignty, and stability.
According to the Vice President, coordinating and operationalizing these initiatives has been crucial to addressing transboundary issues and maximizing the effectiveness of climate interventions, including protecting marine ecosystems.
Since 2023, the SASSCAL has been addressing climate change and sustainable land management challenges in Southern Africa. It is an initiative by Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Germany. Germany has already contributed 10 million euros to the project. FMA/ART/AMP
Read the original article on ANGOP.
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Mogadishu, Somalia – Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Tuesday officially opened the 2nd East African Community Cooperation Conference (EACON2025) in Mogadishu, marking another milestone in the country’s growing role within the East African bloc.
In his keynote address, President Mohamud highlighted Somalia’s historic legacy as a hub of trade and seafaring along the Indian Ocean, reaffirming his government’s commitment to advancing economic integration, regional security, and collective prosperity across East Africa.
“The majority of expatriates working in Somalia today are from East African countries. This shows how deeply interconnected our region already is,” President Mohamud said.
“Somalia’s active participation in the EAC will not only strengthen those bonds but open new opportunities for all partner states.” He added.
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He also praised Somali entrepreneurs for driving national development through investments in education, health, and infrastructure–urging them to build stronger business partnerships with counterparts across the region.
The two-day summit has drawn senior officials from all EAC member states, Somali government representatives, and regional business leaders. Delegates are focusing on boosting trade, cross-border investment, and joint responses to shared challenges in agriculture, energy, fisheries, and digital innovation.
For Mogadishu, hosting the event for the second time carries symbolic weight. Once defined by decades of conflict, Somalia is positioning itself as a bridge in regional cooperation. The conference, officials say, is as much about symbolism as it is about substance–projecting Somalia as a committed member of the EAC’s political and economic architecture.
Somalia became the eighth full member of the East African Community in March 2024, joining Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its admission was hailed as historic: the bloc, home to more than 300 million people, now stretches from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean.
Membership gave Somalia access to new trade corridors, a common market, and stronger collective bargaining power–while also committing it to aligning policies with regional standards. For a country rebuilding its institutions, the challenge has been how to transform membership into tangible benefits for ordinary citizens.
Read the original article on Radio Dalsan.
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