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Addis Ababa, 28 August 2025: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has learned with deep concern of the terrorist attacks carried out simultaneously on Tuesday, 19 August 2025, against Malian army positions in Farabougou and Biriki-Were, in the Ségou region.

The Chairperson of the Commission strongly condemns these attacks, claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), affiliated with Al-Qaeda, which tragically caused numerous casualties among both military personnel and civilians.

The post-2022 Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction era is marked with appreciable progress towards the achievement of the Programme of Action for the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (PoA). Building on the Mauritius (2016), Tunis (2018) and Nairobi (2021) Declarations, the continent’s renewed commitment has translated into various high-level disaster risk reduction related undertakings.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, received a high-level delegation from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), led by H.E. Francia Elena Márquez Mina, Vice President of the Republic of Colombia.

The Colombian delegation included H.E. Felipe Quintero Suarez, Vice Minister for Foreign Trade; H.E. Yeison Arcadio Meneses Copete, Ambassador of Colombia to Ethiopia; as well as representatives from government agencies and programmes.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, received H.E. Amb. Liberata Mulamula, the AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security (WPS).

Their discussions focused on the strategic direction of the Special Envoy’s mandate. The Chairperson emphasized the importance of aligning her work with continental frameworks such as Agenda 2063 and the AU Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), as well as global standards including UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, bid farewell to H.E. Pietro Mona, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the African Union, IGAD, UNECA, and Ambassador to Djibouti.