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The coronavirus pandemic is certain to dominate the annual African Union summit this weekend, but it’s far from the only issue on the agenda at the two days of virtual meetings. Key elections are scheduled for leadership positions in the AU Commission, and analysts are watching to see whether the bloc can revitalize last year’s pledge to end Africa’s conflicts.
The summit marks the end of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s one-year term as AU chair, which he described as “a baptism of fire.” He took the position just days before the first COVID-19 case was detected on the continent, quickly spearheading an early push to ramp up testing and, more recently, to try and secure vaccines even as wealthier nations have been buying up most of the available doses.