LUANDA, Angola — Eritrea called on the African Union to strengthen national institutions, reduce its dependence on external financing and protect member-state sovereignty as African leaders met in Luanda to examine the continent’s record on preventing and resolving conflict.
In a statement delivered by its delegation on August 30, Eritrea said existing continental mechanisms had not proved sufficiently effective and that overlapping initiatives led by actors outside Africa could weaken African agency.
The intervention was made at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly, convened under the theme of strengthening mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution. The AU program placed the heads-of-state session at the Luanda Convention Palace, following an extraordinary session of the AU Executive Council on August 29.
Eritrea’s delegation said conflict prevention should begin at the national level, with African states retaining primary responsibility for peace and security. It argued that effective institutions at home were a prerequisite for stronger regional and continental systems.
The statement identified ethnic and religious polarization, state fragility, corruption, exclusionary politics and external interference among factors that can cause or intensify conflict. It called for a shift from identity-based politics toward citizenship-based politics and for national resources to be used more equitably.
At the continental level, Eritrea proposed a broad review of Africa’s peace, security and governance architecture to identify institutional shortcomings and improve performance.
It linked that review to the AU’s financing, describing the organization’s reliance on external funding as unsustainable. The delegation called for stronger domestic resource mobilization and for available funds to be managed transparently and accountably.
Eritrea also said outside involvement through mercenaries or political, financial and military support to parties in African conflicts was prolonging instability. It did not identify a particular country, organization or active conflict in making the charge.
The delegation urged the AU to maintain what it called an unwavering commitment to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of its member states. It also called for conflict prevention to be paired with development programs focused on inclusion, social justice, national reconciliation and the restoration of institutions and livelihoods.
The intervention broadly aligned with the summit’s public focus on African financing and institutional accountability. At the final press briefing, AU leaders said they would strengthen the Peace Fund, seek additional African financing and improve monitoring of decisions across the Union and regional bodies.
Eritrea said the next step should be the adoption of “clear, realistic and time-bound plans of action” backed by political commitment. The statement did not set out separate national pledges or deadlines.
