Insecurity on the African continent is expected to dominate today's 36th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), which includes Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa and UN Secretary-General António Guterres among its guests.

The crisis in the Sahel and in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo) have dominated the topics of the fringe meetings that preceded the summit and other important issues, such as the free trade area, food insecurity (accentuated by the invasion of Ukraine) or the fight against climate change, have been given less prominence.

"Without peace, it's difficult to find solutions," the African Union's Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Economy, Angolan Josefa Sacko, admitted on Friday at a conference on her sector, quoted by Lusa.

On the day of the summit, the Sahel will be one of the strong themes, not least because in addition to the internal conflicts associated with Islamic extremism, there are three countries with leaders born out of coups d'état.

The February 18-19 summit of heads of state and government will examine a report on the activities of the organization's Security Council (PSC) and the state of peace and security in Africa, as well as a strategic document on global political, financial and energy governance, to be presented by Senegalese President Macky Sall.

The military situation will also be in the spotlight, after last year the governments of four member countries, Mali, Guinea Conakry, Sudan and Burkina Faso, were suspended from the AU following coups d'état.

Instability in the Central African Republic and Mali, where the Wagner group, mercenaries supported by the Kremlin, operate, and the crisis in northern Mozambique, the scene of attacks by Islamic extremists, are other issues associated with insecurity on the continent.

Issues related to the global food crisis, climate change and the continental free trade area are other major themes of the summit, which will also elect Senegal's successor to the AU presidency.