{"id":41347,"date":"2026-08-02T16:04:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T14:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/?post_type=news&#038;p=41347"},"modified":"2026-08-02T16:04:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T14:04:22","slug":"au-condemns-drone-attack-on-vessels-at-egypts-damietta-port","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/news\/au-condemns-drone-attack-on-vessels-at-egypts-damietta-port\/","title":{"rendered":"AU condemns drone attack on vessels at Egypt\u2019s Damietta port"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf has strongly condemned the drone attack carried out on July 29 against vessels stationed at the Port of Damietta in Egypt.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Youssouf expressed the AU\u2019s full solidarity with the Government and people of Egypt following the incident.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Youssouf also commended Egyptian authorities for what was described as a swift and effective response that prevented any loss of life.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The AU said Youssouf has confidence in ongoing investigations aimed at establishing the circumstances surrounding the attack.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>According to Youssouf, the incident represents a serious violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of an AU member state.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The attack comes amid heightened regional tensions linked to conflicts in the Middle East and growing concern over the security of maritime routes and civilian infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Youssouf warned that Africa should not become a theatre for the spillover of conflicts originating outside the continent.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Youssouf also said critical civilian infrastructure on the continent must not be exposed to such threats.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The AU called for maximum restraint and de-escalation following the attack.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Youssouf reaffirmed the AU\u2019s commitment to international law, the safety and security of maritime navigation and the protection of civilian infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;AU\/ChannelAfrica&#8211;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":41348,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-41347","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The African Union (AU) has condemned a drone attack on vessels at Egypt\u2019s Port of Damietta, calling it a violation of Egyptian sovereignty.","published_date":"","news_description":"The African Union (AU) has condemned a drone attack on vessels at Egypt\u2019s Port of Damietta, calling it a violation of Egyptian sovereignty.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/41347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/41347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41349,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/41347\/revisions\/41349"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=41347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}