AU Summit: Youssouf Calls for End to Palestinian ‘Extermination’

February 14, 2026

AU Summit: Youssouf Calls for End to Palestinian 'Extermination'

Chairman of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf,. Credit: AU

The chairman of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, on Saturday called for an end to the “extermination” of the Palestinian people, as he opened the African Union’s 39th summit.

“In the Middle East, Palestine and the suffering of its people also challenge our consciences. The extermination of this people must stop,” Youssouf told heads of state gathered for the two-day meeting.

The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli siege since the war began following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data.

Youssouf Calls for End to Palestinian 'Extermination — Chairman of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Credit: AU

Since then, at least 71,667 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Youssouf also addressed ongoing conflicts across Africa.

“From Sudan to the Sahel, to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in Somalia and elsewhere, our people continue to pay the heavy price of instability,” he said.

The summit brings together leaders from the African Union’s 55 member states. This year’s theme focuses on water sanitation.

Author

Jimisayo Opanuga

Jimisayo Opanuga is a web writer in the Digital Department at News Central TV, where she covers African and international stories. Her reporting focuses on social issues, health, justice, and the environment, alongside general-interest news. She is passionate about telling stories that inform the public and give voice to underreported communities.