President leaves for AU Summit

President Mnangagwa, who is also the SADC chairperson, has left the country for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he will join other African leaders for the 38th Ordinary Session of the African Union summit which will tackle political, economic and social issues affecting the continent.

The President was seen off at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by Vice Presidents Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi,Government Ministers, Service Chiefs and senior Government officials.

At the sidelines of the summit, President Mnangagwa is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with other leaders aimed at deepening cooperation.

The summit is running under the Theme, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent’ Through Reparations”.

This theme was decided on by the Heads of State and Government at the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union held in February 2023 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Ahead of the main weekend summit, the leaders will hold an emergency session on Friday to discuss the violence in DRC, where the M23 armed group has seized parts of the mineral-rich east part of the country.

This follows a joint summit of eastern and southern African blocs last week which called for a ceasefire.

Angolan President Joao Lourenco, will take over the rotating presidency of the AU at the weekend while a new chairman will be chosen by vote.

Incumbent Moussa Faki Mahamat of Chad, has reached the two-term limit and the trio of Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Kenyan Raila Odinga and Madagascar’s ex-foreign minister Richard Randriamandrato is vying to replace him.

This time, the position is reserved for an East African.

Our Reporter Garikai Fadzi will be giving us live updates as events unfold in Ethiopia over the next few days.