UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated today (February 15) at the African Union Summit, “The international community must work together to halt the circulation of weapons and funding of bloodshed in Sudan,” emphasizing that in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), “regional escalation must be avoided at all costs.”

Against the backdrop of conflicts and tensions in multiple African Union member states, the Secretary-General delivered a speech at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, saying, “The world must never forget that Africa has been a victim of two vast and complex injustices.”

First, Guterres stated, “The impacts of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade are profound,” with roots that “trace back centuries, and their bitter consequences continue to affect Africans and people of African descent today.”

Secondly, he pointed out that “when today’s multilateral system was established, Africa was still under colonial rule, and this injustice persists.”

The Secretary-General stressed, “It is entirely unjustifiable that Africa still lacks a permanent seat on the Security Council in the 21st century.”

He said, “Sudan is disintegrating before our eyes, and it is currently the site of the world’s largest displacement crisis and famine.”

Guterres continued, saying that in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, “the Congolese people are once again suffering from a brutal cycle of violence. With the ongoing M23 offensive, the fires of war are raging in South Kivu Province, threatening to push the entire region to the brink.”

He called for “justice” in the management of Africa’s critical mineral resources, stating, “Your countries are often plundered, trapped at the bottom of the value chain, while other nations grow rich from your resources.”

The Secretary-General emphasized, “Africa’s minerals must benefit the African people.”

At a subsequent press conference, the UN Secretary-General told reporters that in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, “since the incursion into Bukavu, the risk of regional expansion is very high,” and welcomed the “significant agreements reached, which now need to be implemented,” including dismantling the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, the withdrawal of Rwandan troops, “and ensuring the territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo through diplomacy and dialogue.”

When asked about the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, he said, “A resumption of war in Gaza is unimaginable. The suffering of the Palestinian people would be absolutely unbearable. Therefore, our goal now is to support Qatar, support Egypt, and support the recent efforts made by the United States to ensure that the war does not resume and that the second and third phases of negotiations succeed.”

Guterres stated, “It is evident that there are problems within the United Nations, primarily linked to geopolitical divisions. These divisions have rendered the Security Council ineffective in most major crises. As a result, the United Nations struggles to play an effective role in resolving many global conflicts. This is why Security Council reform is so crucial, and why I insist on it once again today.”

This year’s summit theme is “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.”