US EditionAfrican Union summit opens as youth anger grows over a ‘bloc of old leaders’
The 39th African Union summit focuses on water security amid rising Gulf rivalry in the Horn of Africa and youth protests against old leadership, with 400 million lacking daily water access.
- On February 14, 2026, the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union opened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, launching the year’s water and sanitation agenda as heads of state arrived at AU headquarters and Bole International Airport.
- African youths increasingly view the AU as a 'bloc of old leaders' amid protests over leadership age and disputed elections, according to analysts.
- The AU drew specific criticism when the AU Commission commended Uganda's January election despite internet shutdowns, social media users retorted `Dictatorship club has spoken,` and Abuja resident Chima Ekwueme said the AU fails to hold leaders accountable amid weak enforcement, professor Macharia Munene noted.
- �Variste Ndayishimiye is expected to assume the AU's rotating chairmanship, and the Assembly will consider reform reports and adopt decisions on February 15, 2026.
- A feud between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates across the Horn of Africa is overshadowing the summit, compelling countries to choose sides as UAE supports RSF and Saudi allies back SAF, diplomats said.
54 Articles
54 Articles
The Straits Times
African Union summit clouded by Saudi-UAE rivalry in Horn of Africa
LONDON/NAIROBI, Feb 14 - A feud between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates across the Horn of Africa is overshadowing this weekend’s African Union summit, though most of the continent’s leaders will try to avoid taking sides, nine diplomats and experts said. Read more at straitstimes.com.
African leaders to gather in Ethiopia for the 39th summit of the African Union
Water scarcity, sanitation gaps, climate stress and big promises in Addis Ababa. African leaders will gather in Ethiopia for the 39th summit of the African Union. After 15 years of closure, Kenya is set to reopen parts of its border with Somalia. Also, for families separated for more than a decade. And, with Valentine’s Day approaching, love is going digital in northern Nigeria. In Kano, professional matchmakers are blending tradition with artif…
Newsbug.info
'Weak by design' African Union gathers for summit
The African Union (AU) holds its annual summit in Ethiopia this weekend at a time of genocide, myriad insurgencies and coups stretching from one end of the continent to the other, for which it has few answers.
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