SRSG to the AU and Head of UNOAU meets with Permanent Representative of South Africa to the AU

3 Feb 2023

SRSG to the AU and Head of UNOAU meets with Permanent Representative of South Africa to the AU

On 3 February, the SRSG to the AU and Head of UNOAU, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga paid a courtesy call on the Ambassador of South Africa to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU, Ambassador Edward Xolisa Makaya, who is also Chair of the AUPSC for the month of February. The SRSG UNOAU hailed the role that South Africa continues to play in advancing Africa’s interests at the regional, continental, and international levels. The discussions also covered the AUPSC programme of work for February.

With regards to the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Ambassador Makaya, briefed on the different initiatives in place aimed at preventing an escalation of the conflict, expressed the need for restraint, and called upon the primary parties to honour the Luanda and the EAC-Nairobi political processes as a way forward to addressing underlying causes of the conflict.

The SRSG UNOAU and the Ambassador also discussed other security situations on the continent and welcomed the initiatives led by the AU and the RECs/RMs to address them. The Ambassador also briefed on the latest developments with regard to the preparation of the AU common position on the financing of AU-led PSOs. The SRSG UNOAU and Ambassador Makaya also noted the urgency for the reform of the international financial system to make it more responsive to Africa’s development needs.