AU Official Links Ethiopia’s Continental Role to Africa’s Push for Peace, Security and Integration

Addis Ababa, August 29, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopia’s role in advancing peace and security in the Horn of Africa and across the continent is closely linked to Africa’s broader push for continental integration, an African Union official said.

Ambassador Salah S. Hammad, Head of the Governance Architecture and African Peace and Security Architecture (AGA-APSA) Secretariat at the African Union Commission, made the remarks in an interview with ENA.

Hammad said Addis Ababa has evolved beyond being the political capital of Ethiopia to becoming a continental political hub due to the presence of the African Union Commission.

“Addis Ababa is no longer the political capital of Ethiopia alone. It is also the political capital of the entire continent, with the presence of the African Union Commission here,” he said.

He said Ethiopia’s position as a destination for African initiatives has given it an important role in continental efforts to promote peace and security.

“Therefore, certainly Ethiopia now is a destination for many African initiatives to promote peace and security. And with that, we do believe that Ethiopia has a very strong role to play in promoting peace and security across the continent,” Hammad said.

He also emphasized the importance of advancing African integration, saying stronger continental unity could help address challenges facing landlocked countries, including access to the sea.

“Africa should be integrated as a continental entity, and with that, Ethiopia and all other landlocked countries will have access to the sea as part of the one Africa that is united and peaceful,” he said.

Hammad identified several issues that he said African leaders should address as part of the continent’s integration agenda.

He first pointed to borders inherited by African countries from the colonial era, arguing that these boundaries have contributed to divisions among African peoples.

“The borders among African countries are inherited from the colonial era. Therefore, the time has come for the African leaders to sit together and to re-negotiate the borders that we have, because these borders are dividing our African people,” he said.

He further called on African leaders to advance the continental integration agenda and strengthen cooperation in addressing common challenges.

“Secondly, the time has come also for our African leaders to push forward the agenda of integration. Africa should be integrated as a continental entity,” he said.

Hammad also emphasized the importance of keeping dialogue and negotiation open among African countries as a means of pursuing peaceful solutions, ENA reported.

“Thirdly, it is quite important that the door should not be closed for any negotiations that will lead to a solution that will be beneficial to all, among African member states,” he said.

Reiterating his concerns regarding Africa’s inherited borders, Hammad called for renewed consideration of boundaries established during the colonial period, with the aim of fostering cooperation rather than division.

“As borders have not been developed or created by Africans, so therefore, we need to really re-look at the borders we inherited from the colonial time,” he said.