In Luanda, the AU-EU summit was dominated by Ukraine at the expense of the African agenda

The year 2025 had been proclaimed by the African Union as that of “justice for Africans and people of African descent”, with particular attention paid to the question of reparations. Several outlets highlighted that Luanda would offer an opportunity to address this historic issue.

Yet, at the opening of the summit, the subject had vanished from the program. According to reports, the topic of reparations was quietly removed by the European side, despite repeated requests from several African delegations.

According to local sources, Angolan activists, who were wearing t-shirts calling for the payment of reparations, were even forced to leave the event venue.

In the final document adopted in Luanda, the issue of reparations appears only as a simple mention, with no concrete commitments or timetable. An absence that fueled criticism about the lack of consideration given to African priorities.

While the event was meant to focus on the continent’s challenges — governance, security, economic development — discussions were largely dominated by the Ukrainian crisis.

European officials’ interventions devoted a significant portion to that conflict. The French president, present in Luanda, gave an interview to RTL in which the word “Africa” was not mentioned, while the situation in Ukraine occupied most of the exchange.