The “extermination” of the Palestinian people must end, the chairman of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has said, as dozens of heads of state gather for the regional body’s 39th summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.“In the Middle East, Palestine and the suffering of its people also challenge our consciences. The extermination of this people must stop,” said Youssouf, who was elected to head the institution a year ago, declared on Saturday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listThe annual meeting is expected to focus on ruinous wars and security in the region as well as governance challenges around the world, threats to democracy and climate change, including water sanitation and water‑linked climate shocks.“International law and international humanitarian law are the basis of the international community,” Youssouf added, as he called for the lifting of the Israeli blockade of humanitarian goods into the besieged Palestinian territory.Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed at least 72,045 people and wounded 171,686 since October 2023, and continues despite a “ceasefire”.Youssouf also touched on the multiple conflicts raging in Africa, calling for the “silencing of the guns” across the continent.“From Sudan to the Sahel, to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in Somalia and elsewhere, our people continue to pay the heavy price of instability,” Youssouf said.The summit brings together heads of state from the 55 member states of the African Union over two days.In his speech at the summit, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised the AU as a “flag …
