Online Reporter
Mukudzei Chingwere in LUANDA, Angola
VICE President Dr Constantino Chiwenga will represent Zimbabwe at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa, which is scheduled to take place in Luanda, Angola, tomorrow, following a ministerial meeting set for today.
Ahead of the Vice President’s arrival, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Angola, Dr Thando Madzvamuse, said Dr Chiwenga would attend the summit on behalf of President Mnangagwa.
He said all preparations for Zimbabwe’s participation had been finalised, with proceedings beginning today through ministerial consultations before heads of state, government representatives and senior delegates convene for the main session tomorrow.
“We are expecting Vice President Chiwenga here, who will be representing President Mnangagwa at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African union on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa.
“The gathering is an engagement on conflict prevention and resolution which will take place on Sunday, preceded by the ministerial engagement on Saturday. We are, therefore, already done with the preparations to welcome the Vice President to join the participating Heads of State and Government and/ or their representatives from various countries on the continent,” said Ambassador Madzvamuse.
The extraordinary session comes at a time when African leaders are increasingly focused on strengthening continental mechanisms for conflict prevention, peacebuilding and the resolution of crises affecting different parts of the continent.
The African Union’s decision to dedicate a special summit to conflict prevention and resolution reflects growing concern that security challenges in one country can quickly affect neighbouring states through displacement, humanitarian crises, economic disruption and the spread of instability.
Conflicts linked to political disputes, governance challenges, communal tensions, competition over resources and transnational criminal activities have continued to test peace and security efforts in several regions, reinforcing the need for coordinated continental responses.
Against this backdrop, the Luanda meeting is expected to provide a platform for African leaders to review existing conflict prevention strategies, strengthen cooperation among member states and explore practical solutions aimed at preventing disputes from escalating into full-scale crises.
The gathering will also serve as a strategic forum for evaluating progress on previous commitments, improving coordination mechanisms and enhancing the effectiveness of African-led peace and mediation initiatives.
Diplomatically, such AU extraordinary sessions play an important role in promoting unity among member states and ensuring a common approach to peace and security challenges across the continent.
While today’s ministerial engagement is expected to focus on technical and policy discussions, tomorrow’s leaders’ summit will provide political guidance and endorsement of recommendations emerging from those deliberations.
For Zimbabwe, participation in the summit carries added significance beyond the AU’s internal processes.
As a member of the United Nations Security Council, Zimbabwe has an important role in ensuring that African perspectives and priorities are adequately reflected in global discussions on conflict prevention, peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
In that context, Zimbabwe’s participation in Luanda is expected to contribute to broader discussions on issues such as mediation, sanctions, peace processes, the protection of civilians and the effectiveness of international support for African-led conflict resolution efforts.
The summit is also expected to reinforce cooperation between regional, continental and international institutions in addressing the root causes of conflict and promoting lasting peace, stability and development across Africa.
