At 21st Extraordinary AU Session in Angola: Biya’s envoy, Dion Ngute, others review conflict prevention, resolution tactics.

The session is holding under the theme: “Strengthening conflict prevention and resolution in Africa". 

Dion Ngute is accompanied to the continental gathering by the Minister of External Relations, Mbella Mbella, and some of his close aides and staff of the Prime Ministry.

The session is convened under the leadership of Angolan President and AU Champion for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço.

The session, among other things, focused on assessing and finding lasting solutions to ongoing conflicts in the continent such as that in Sudan, the Sahel, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC. 

The goal, officials said, was to boost early warning systems, address terrorism, and advance sustainable funding for African-led peace operations. 

The envoy of the President of the Republic made the view of Cameroon known during high-level deliberations.

The Star Building occupant featured among other African leaders who made contributions during exchanges at the Assembly of Heads of State and Government and the adoption of the Luanda Action Plan.

Biya’s envoy drums dialogue as panacea to conflicts 

During deliberations, PM Dion Ngute also delivered the message of the Head of State, President Biya, on resolving conflicts on the continent. He said the continent already possesses an established institutional framework developed for preventing and resolving conflicts which only needs to be fully operational.

Such, he said, could be achieved through early warning and action by revamping the bridge between information gathering and rapid decision-making, stepping up cooperation between States.

He also mentioned response and mediation skills as vital to fast-track the deployment of the African Standby Force. 

“To this end, Cameroon underscores the strategic importance of the Continental Logistics Base hosted on its territory and reaffirms its commitment to African mediation. The phrase "African solutions to African problems" should therefore become a working method rather than merely a lofty aspiration,” Biya’s envoy stated. 

Dion Ngute also talked of financing and addressing the root causes to establish reliable and sustainable funding mechanisms effectively managed by African States.

“As such, strengthening the Peace Fund and pursuing dialogue between African Union and the United Nations in a bit to ensure the long-term funding of African-led peace support operations. Moreover, conflict prevention should blend security, governance, development, and efforts to tackle the root causes of conflicts: poverty, youth unemployment, violent extremism, and trafficking,” he said. 

He expressed the wish for the summit to afford the opportunity to make real progress. Dion Ngute drummed the adoption of the action plan to clearly define responsibilities, specific deadlines, and an effective monitoring mechanism.

He said objective should simply be to identify issues earlier, take prompt decisions, and act together. He cited President Biya’s declaration during CEMAC Conference of Heads of State held in Yaounde in March 2023 for "solidarity” to “be the watchword" among States. 

Dion Ngute said Cameroon remains convinced that dialogue is the best course of action towards achieving a peaceful, comprehensive, and lasting solution to conflicts, thus, should never cease to promote it. 

“To this end, Luanda should go down in the annals of history as the place where we reaffirmed our ambition for a peaceful Africa and as the dawn of a new phase in our collective efforts to promote peace and security across our continent. Peace is not a foregone conclusion. It needs to be forged. It needs to be safeguarded. Above all, it should be nurtured,” he said

AU Commission chair, others drum urgent reforms 

The session yesterday followed the 26th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council (Ministerial level) which held Saturday, August 29, to prepare draft decisions and strategies. 

The Chairperson of African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, in his address at the 26th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council, and other speakers, said such mechanisms must be proactive, instantly applicable, be given adequate funding and inspire a culture of dialogue. 

Mahmoud Ali regretted that the session is taking place against the backdrop of a fragile peace and security environment.

“Terrorism and violent extremism are expanding,” he said, noting that such trend raises a fundamental question as to whether the continent is capable to address the challenges using its current strategies, mechanisms, and available resources. 

He said moving forward, urgent reforms are needed, such as strengthening of prevention and early warning, better articulation and effective coordination as well as holistic approach and the pooling of resources in the fight against terrorism. 

Mahmoud Ali mentioned rethinking the operation of the Peace Fund, raising its ceiling, and simultaneously leverage UN Security Council Resolution 2719.

He recommended the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation matrix to challenges on implementation decisions taken.

Next mission of Dion Ngute

From Luanda, the Prime Minister will head to Belgrade, Serbia, to sit in for the Head of State at the 65th anniversary of the conference of Heads of State of Non-Aligned countries. 

The global gathering is billed for August 31 to September 1, 2026, under the theme: "The Legacy of Non-Alignment: Lessons for Today's World"

The gathering is expected to draw senior representatives from countries that took part in the first conference in 1961, as well as representatives of the Non-Aligned Movement’s current Troika, made up of Azerbaijan, Uganda and Uzbekistan.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3895 of Monday August 31, 2026