Sudans, Somalia top issues at African Union summit
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Oil negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan and war and hunger in Somalia are expected to dominate discussion at a summit of African leaders in Ethiopia’s capital.
The African Union said Sunday the summit’s official theme is trade. But increasingly tense relations between Sudan and South Sudan will likely dominate sideline talks among the 54-member bloc. South Sudan has stopped oil production over the impasse. China said Sunday that Chinese workers were seized in a volatile border region of Sudan.
The leaders will also elect a new chair of the A.U. commission, a position held by Gabon’s Jean Ping. Ping will run for a second term but will face South African minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
The AU is holding the summit for the first time at its new $200 million headquarters, paid for by China.