AU asked to end conflicts as Uganda promises strong APRM leadership

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African countries have been rallied to end the spiralling conflicts that have triggered the worst lawlessness and humanitarian crises in the Sahel region, Sudan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, if the goals of Agenda 2063 are to be achieved.

The appeal was made by Ambassador Mohammed El –Amine Souef, the chief of staff of the African Union, during a meeting organised by Amani Africa Initiative on the eve of the 35th Summit in Addis Ababa last week.

In a statement released by Amani Africa, a research think tank affiliated with the AU, Souef said this year’s summit is being held at a time when Africa is at crossroads.

 “The global order on which Africa and the world have relied is undergoing a deep rupture. Multilateralism is under strain. Respect for international law is increasingly selective. Unilateralism, protectionism, and power politics are resurging, while geopolitical rivalries intensify. Global institutions, including the United Nations, face serious crises of legitimacy, effectiveness, and resources,” he said.

Despite the main theme of the gathering being about water, most of the resolutions and discussions at the 39th AU summit that concluded on Monday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, were about peace and security, highlighting the pressing need to end conflicts.

The summit took place at a time when over six countries, mainly Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Guinea, Sudan, are suspended from the AU over military coups.

In its report titled AU Floating Adrift, Amani Africa called on the AU to arrest the spiralling insecurity and coups in Africa.

However, at the end of the summit, the AU commissioner, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, said he was reaching out to the Sahel leaders to find solutions to the crises that they are grappling with.

“The biggest issue we have in that region is the proliferation of terrorist groups, traffickers and all sorts of secessionist rebellions. This region has become a source of concern when it comes to the neighbouring countries, too. So it is very important to understand the need to engage with them,” the AU Commissioner, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, said during the last press conference on Monday.

He further announced that he had appointed a special envoy who had been meeting with the leaders of the Sahel countries.

“I also requested a visit to those capitals so that I can start direct dialogue with leaders of that region,” he said.

New alliances

But it seems the suspended countries have found a new alternative.

At the moment, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which were suspended from regional bodies such as the AU and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) over coups, have formed a new bloc known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) to ensure regional security and break ties with Western powers.

The AES bloc has rapidly strengthened ties with Russia to replace Western influence, notably following the expulsion of French forces.

On August 14, 2025, Russia hosted a defence summit with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, the three members of AES. The meeting concluded with the signing of a defence cooperation memorandum, formalising expanded military collaboration between Moscow and the AES countries. This agreement is expected to influence ongoing diplomatic, security, and economic dynamics in the region. The alliance focuses on security cooperation, including arms, information, training and the Africa Corps.

Uganda takes over APRM

As the new chair of the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Uganda promised to steer the continental governance body toward practical reforms that will directly improve the lives of Africans.

While delivering the country’s acceptance speech, Vice-President Jessica Alupo acknowledged the security challenges that Africa is facing, pledging to strengthen the implementation of APRM recommendations by ensuring that country review reports translate into concrete reforms embedded within national development plans and budgets.

Uganda takes over the chairmanship of APRM at a time when many parts of Africa are engulfed in lawlessness, especially Sudan and the Sahel, where terrorist groups and armed groups such as the Africa Corps are fuelling insecurity.

Asked if Uganda was ready to lead peace restoration efforts on the continent, Lydia Wanyoto, a Ugandan legislator and Henry Okello Oryem, the foreign affairs minister, who were part of the delegation to the AU summit, said the country’s President is a trusted voice.

“Uganda has played a big role in Africa’s peace and security, even amidst foreign meddling. It will definitely leave an impact,” Wanyoto said.

Within a week of taking over APRM leadership, President Yoweri Museveni separately met top figures of the two warring groups in Sudan.

On February 13, he met Sudan’s Deputy Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Malik Agar, and on February 20, he met Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the Rapid Support Forces at State House Entebbe, to discuss peace.

But Ugandan governance experts said Uganda has to prioritise contemporary issues such as human trafficking of youths to Russia if APRM is to remain relevant.

Jonathan Tabalanga, an international relations lecturer at Cavendish University Uganda, says while Uganda’s leadership may carry diplomatic prestige, he cautions that it does not automatically translate into influence over states grappling with conflict or governance breakdown.

“Security in Africa is increasingly transnational. Armed groups, illicit financial flows and humanitarian crises cross borders effortlessly. Uganda’s agenda must therefore prioritise structured cooperation among regional blocs,” he said, citing the current illegal recruitment of young Africans to fight through what he described as sophisticated groups.

He said the fact that AU member states failed to talk about it shows that Africa was avoiding the contemporary issues affecting the continent.

A day after the summit, Kenya’s intelligence authorities reported to Parliament that more than 1,000 Kenyans have gone to fight for the Russian army in Ukraine, most of them tricked into signing military contracts, according to an intelligence report presented to Kenya's parliament.

A joint investigation by Kenya's National Intelligence Service and Directorate of Criminal Investigations, presented in parliament on Tuesday, put the number of recruits from the country at "over 1,000" -- far higher than the figure of "around 200" given by authorities in December.

AFP news agency reported that the country’s foreign minister and prime cabinet secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, will travel to Moscow next week to discuss the issue with Russian authorities.

Earlier, Russia’s Ambassador to Nigeria had also denied claims that the country was recruiting the country’s youth to fight in Ukraine.

He, however, said the country does not stop foreigners from enlisting to fight alongside Russia.