This week, African Union Summit highlights urgent need for action on Sudan and Demoratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). What’s next for the Israel-Gaza ceasefire? Chief Minister reaffirms peace commitments for Pakistani district.
African Union Summit Highlights Urgent Need for Action on Sudan and DRC
The African Union (AU) Summit on February 15 and 16 highlighted the urgent need for action on the deteriorating situations in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The summit included delegates from over 50 countries, who met at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres noted at the summit that Sudan was “being torn apart before our eyes,” adding that the strong connections between the U.N and African union can provide an “anchor” for a coalition to end the war.
AU commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security Bankole Adeoye said at the summit that “We are all very, very concerned about the risk of an open regional war over eastern DRC,” and that “We have reiterated the need for caution and called on the M23 rebels and their supporters to disarm and withdraw,” as quoted in Voice of America (VOA). However, security analyst Senator Iroegbu said that “strategic measures or plans” were also needed, as well as mediation teams.
These statements came as news spread of the M23 rebel group entering the city of Bukavu, the second largest city in DRC’s eastern region. Guterres warned that the offensive threatens to “push the entire region over the precipice.” M23 has now captured the city.
Both Sudan and DRC are facing painful violent conflicts. The conflict between Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has left the country in what US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described as the “world’s largest humanitarian crisis, leaving over 25 million Sudanese facing acute food insecurity and over 600,000 experiencing famine.”
In DRC, after M23 captured Goma on January 27, nearly 3,000 people were killed in fighting in the following weeks.
What’s Next for the Israel-Gaza Ceasefire?
The future of Israel and Gaza’s ceasefire is now in a highly delicate situation. Tragic news of the first four bodies of deceased hostages being returned to Israel on February 20 has spread heightened anguish and sorrow among Israelis.
Meanwhile, Hamas has offered to release all the remaining hostages in a single exchange during the second phase of the ceasefire, rather than in stages as it has been doing. So far in the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas has released 24 hostages, and Israel has released over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. After the first phase of the ceasefire, 58 hostages will remain in Gaza, AFP reported.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has said that he is working with other Arab countries on an alternative plan to US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians to surrounding countries. el-Sissi said, “The plan will span several years that would entail sequential phases of removing rubble and reconstruction.”
It remains to be seen what the future of the ceasefire holds amidst such difficult circumstances.
Chief Minister Reaffirms Peace Commitments for Pakistani District
On February 17, the Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial cabinet reaffirmed the government’s commitment to peace in the conflicted Kurram district. A cabinet briefing highlighted that since October 2024, 189 people have died due to incidents of unrest in the city, Mashriq TV reported.
Nine aid convoys comprising 718 vehicles have been let into the district, and 153 helicopter flights have helped to transfer around 4,000 people. Meanwhile, 151 bunkers have been demolished, and a deadline is set for March 23 to remove all remaining bunkers.
The most recent wave of violence in Kurram began on November 21, when gunmen attacked a vehicle convoy and killed 52 people, mostly shias. Despite a peace deal reached on January 1 between Sunni and Shia tribes in Kurram, militants attacked an aid convoy in the district on January 16. Deputy Commissioner Shaukat Ali said that one soldier had been killed, and four others wounded in the attack, with three convoy vehicles damaged.
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is a journalist in Bangkok. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
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