ADDIS ABABA, 06 February 2022, (TON): African leaders are meeting at a summit that is expected to discuss the continent’s most pressing challenges, including a new wave of coups in West Africa.

The summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, is also expected to gather support for Africa’s push toward permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in his opening remarks called for cooperation among African nations in demanding two permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council.

Abiy said “today, more than seven decades after the creation of the United Nations, Africa remains a junior partner, without a meaningful input or role within the system of international governance.”

“We should collectively insist that Africa’s reasonable request for no less than two permanent seats and five non-permanent seats in the U.N. Security Council be adopted.”

Speaking via video link, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said cooperation between the the U.N. and the African Union “is stronger than ever.”

Guterres noted that “injustice is deeply embedded in global systems,” with Africans “paying the heaviest price.”