The Gambian delegation is being led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Hon. Sering Modou Njie, who attended the opening ceremony alongside senior government officials and diplomatic representatives.
Among the officials accompanying the Foreign Affairs Minister are Fatou Kinneh Jobe, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Musa Mbye, Permanent Secretary at the Office of the Vice President; the Deputy Head of Mission at The Gambia’s Embassy in Addis Ababa; and Tunko Jallow, First Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Extraordinary Session brings together African ministers and senior officials to assess the continent’s existing peace and security mechanisms and explore ways of making them more effective in addressing both longstanding and emerging conflicts.
Opening the session, Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairperson of the AU Executive Council, H.E. Edouard Bizimana, called for stronger and more coordinated continental responses to Africa’s persistent security challenges.
He highlighted the importance of strengthening existing structures under the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), including the AU Peace and Security Council, Continental Early Warning System, African Standby Force and AU Peace Fund.
These mechanisms, he noted, provide the foundation for conflict prevention, mediation, peacekeeping and peacebuilding across the continent.
The meeting is also examining a growing range of threats to Africa’s peace and stability, including terrorism and violent extremism, transnational organised crime, interstate tensions, unconstitutional changes of government, humanitarian crises, youth exclusion, climate-related insecurity and emerging technological threats.
Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, stressed the need to strengthen early warning systems and preventive diplomacy to enable the continent to respond to conflicts before they escalate.
He also called for improved coordination between the AU Commission, the Peace and Security Council, Member States and Regional Economic Communities, while emphasising the need for sustainable financing of Africa’s peace and security agenda.
The session is being convened under the leadership of H.E. João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of Angola and AU Champion for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa.
The deliberations are expected to produce strategic recommendations aimed at enhancing Africa’s capacity to prevent and resolve conflicts and advance the AU’s
“Silencing the Guns” agenda towards 2030.
The Gambia’s participation underscores its continued engagement in continental initiatives aimed at promoting peace, stability, good governance and sustainable development.
The session also provides an opportunity for Member States to strengthen cooperation and reaffirm their commitment to African-led solutions to the continent’s peace and security challenges
