Online Reporter
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The African union (AU) has called for urgent de-escalation following military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran which it said have far-reaching global consequences.
In a statement, AU Commission chairperson, Mr Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, urged the parties to exercise restraint and prioritise dialogue through international mediation efforts by Oman to avoid serious implications in Africa where conflict and economic pressures remain acute.
The continental body also highlighted that retaliatory attacks “represent a perilous and deeply troubling escalation, one that marks a serious intensification of hostilities in the Middle East and threatens to engulf the entire region in an uncontrollable cycle of violence, suffering and pain”.
“Further escalation threatens to worsen global instability, with serious implications for energy markets, food security and economic resilience— particularly in Africa, where conflict and economic pressures remain acute,” Mr Ali Youssouf said.
The US and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on February 28 which led to the death of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khameni, senior military figures and civilians, including more than 200 children.
Following the AU statement, African countries have reacted to the situation, with South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa expressing deep concern about the escalation and emphasised that states have the right to self-defence when attacked as enshrined in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
“Anticipatory self-defence is not permitted under international law,” President Ramaphosa said through his office.
Nigeria’s foreign ministry has called for “maximum restraint” and strict adherence to international law, similar with Ghana and The Gambia.
In Senegal, the country’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko emphasised the right to self defence, saying the unilateral use of military force on sovereign states “is extremely serious and the whole balance of the world that has been built over the last 50 years is compromised.”
