This archive report was first published on 19 August 2021.
On August 18, 2021, the 41st Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) held in Lilongwe, Malawi, expressed concern and objected to the African Union Commission's decision to grant Israel observer status.
The decision, made by the AU Commission headed by Chadian diplomat Moussa Faki Mahamat, has elicited anger from several African countries, including Algeria, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.
Israel was last month returned to the AU fold as an observer state, joining Palestine, which was admitted in 2013. The move has sparked controversy, with some countries questioning the decision-making process.
Botswana, for instance, expressed its dissatisfaction with the AU's move, stating that the issue is a sensitive matter that should have been brought to the attention of all AU member states before the decision was reached.
Israel enjoys diplomatic relations with 46 of the 55 AU member states, and some countries have only re-established ties with the country in the last year.
Observer status allows non-members like Israel to participate in certain activities of the AU, although it cannot have a vote on matters. It may, nonetheless, allow the country's diplomats to lobby for favourable policies at the General Assembly.
