New Delhi: India and the African Union jointly agreed Thursday to postpone the Fourth India-Africa Forum Summit, scheduled for 28-31 May in New Delhi, amid a deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
The decision followed consultations between the Government of India and the chairperson of the African Union and the African Union Commission, as both sides weighed the importance of ensuring broad participation by African leaders and stakeholders.
“Following these consultations, the two sides agreed that it would be advisable to convene the Fourth India-Africa Forum Summit at a later date,” an MEA statement read.
“New dates for the summit and its associated meetings will be finalised through mutual consultations and communicated in due course,” it further added.
In a joint statement, India and the African Union stressed their continued cooperation in strengthening public health preparedness and response systems across the continent, including support for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and national health institutions.
India reaffirmed its solidarity with African nations and expressed readiness to assist Africa-led efforts to address the emerging health challenges, underscoring what both sides described as a shared commitment to an “Africa-led response”.
The India-Africa Forum Summit is the official platform for diplomatic and strategic engagement between India and the African Union.
The first three summits were held in New Delhi in 2008; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2011; and New Delhi in 2015. The fourth summit, which was to be the first such gathering in over a decade, was scheduled to take place in New Delhi in May 2026. The summit revolves around trade, investment, healthcare, and digital public infrastructure.
Africa last week saw an outbreak of Ebola that killed at least 65 people in Congo, The Guardian reported. Areas bordering Uganda and South Sudan saw 246 suspected cases of hemorrhagic fever.
Ebola has a high fatality rate and is spread through direct contact with body fluids. The Africa CDC said the DRC’s national research laboratory had detected the Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples tested. There have been 16 outbreaks of Ebola since 1976, when the virus was identified. WHO Sunday announced that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda was a “public health emergency of international concern”.
(Edited by Harini T S)
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