The African Union has a number of official bodies: ;
Pan-African Parliament (PAP): To become the highest legislative body of the African Union. The seat of the PAP is at
Midrand,
Johannesburg, South Africa. The Parliament is composed of 265 elected representatives from all 55 AU states, and intended to provide popular and civil-society participation in the processes of democratic governance. Its president is
Roger Nkodo Dang, of
Cameroon. ;
Assembly of the African Union: Composed of heads of state and heads of government of AU states, the Assembly is currently the supreme governing body of the African Union. It is gradually devolving some of its decision-making powers to the Pan-African Parliament. It meets once a year and makes its decisions by consensus or by a two-thirds majority. The current
chair of the AU is President
Macky Sall, President of
Senegal. ;
African Union Commission (or Authority) : The secretariat of the African Union, composed of ten commissioners and supporting staff and headquartered in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In a similar fashion to its
European counterpart, the
European Commission, it is responsible for the administration and coordination of the AU's activities and meetings. ;
Court of Justice of the African Union: The Constitutive Act provides for a Court of Justice to rule on disputes over interpretation of AU treaties. A protocol to set up this Court of Justice was adopted in 2003 and entered into force in 2009. It was, however, superseded by a protocol creating an
African Court of Justice and Human Rights, which will incorporate the already established
African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (see below) and have two chambers: one for general legal matters and one for rulings on the human rights treaties. ;
Executive Council: Composed of ministers designated by the governments of member states. It decides on matters such as foreign trade, social security, food, agriculture and communications, is accountable to the Assembly, and prepares material for the Assembly to discuss and approve. It is chaired by Shawn Makuyana of
Zimbabwe (2015–). ;
Permanent Representatives' Committee: Consisting of nominated permanent representatives of member states, the Committee prepares the work for the Executive Council, similar to the role of the
Committee of Permanent Representatives in the
European Union. ;
Peace and Security Council (PSC): Proposed at the
Lusaka Summit in 2001 and established in 2004 under a protocol to the Constitutive Act adopted by the AU Assembly in July 2002. The protocol defines the PSC as a collective security and early-warning arrangement to facilitate timely and effective response to conflict and crisis situations in Africa. Other responsibilities conferred to the PSC by the protocol include prevention, management and resolution of conflicts, post-conflict peace building and developing common defence policies. The PSC has fifteen members elected on a regional basis by the Assembly. Similar in intent and operation to the
United Nations Security Council. ;
Economic, Social and Cultural Council:An advisory organ composed of professional and civic representatives, similar to the European
Economic and Social Committee. The chair of ECOSOCC, elected in 2008, is Cameroonian lawyer
Akere Muna of the Pan-African Lawyers Union (PALU). ;
Specialised Technical Committees: Both the Abuja Treaty and the Constitutive Act provide for Specialised Technical Committees to be established made up of African ministers to advise the Assembly. In practice, they have never been set up. The ten proposed themes are: Rural Economy and Agricultural Matters; Monetary and Financial Affairs; Trade, Customs, and Immigration; Industry, Science and Technology; Energy, Natural Resources, and Environment; Transport, Communications, and Tourism; Health; Labour, and Social Affairs; Education, Culture, and Human Resources. ; Financial institutions •
African Central Bank –
Abuja, Nigeria •
African Investment Bank –
Tripoli, Libya •
African Monetary Fund –
Yaoundé, Cameroon These institutions have not yet been established; however, the Steering Committees working on their founding have been constituted. Eventually, the AU aims to have a single currency (the
Afro). ; Health: The
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), founded in 2016 and launched in 2017. Its Headquarters are in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. ; Human rights: The
African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, in existence since 1986, is established under the
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (the African Charter) rather than the Constitutive Act of the African Union. It is the premier African human rights body, with responsibility for monitoring and promoting compliance with the African Charter. The
African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights was established in 2006 to supplement the work of the commission, following the entry into force of a protocol to the African Charter providing for its creation. It is planned that the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights will be merged with the Court of Justice of the African Union (see above). ; Space: The
African Space Agency was officially formed in 2023. It is headquartered in Cairo. ; Energy: The
African Energy Commission was founded in 2008, and is based in Algiers.
Member states All
UN member states in the African continent are members of the African Union. Additionally, the
partially recognized state of the
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which is not a member of the UN, is also a member of the AU.
Morocco withdrew from the Organisation of African Unity in 1984 due to the admission as a member state of the SADR, whose territory of
Western Sahara it claims sovereignty over. It was readmitted by the AU as a member state on 30 January 2017.
Somaliland, which claims independence from
Somalia, applied to join the AU in 2005, but has not been accepted.
Suspended members As of 2026, six members are suspended from the AU due to having undergone
coups d'état: Mali (since 2021), Sudan (since 2021), Burkina Faso (since 2022), Niger (since 2023), Madagascar (since 2025), and Guinea-Bissau (since 2025). Mali was suspended from the African Union on 19 August 2020 following a
military coup. On 9 October of the same year, the
Peace and Security Council of the African Union lifted the suspension imposed on Mali, citing progress made to return to democracy. The country was again suspended on 1 June 2021, following its
second military coup within nine months. Sudan's membership was suspended by the African Union on 27 October 2021, after a
military coup deposed the civilian government led by Prime Minister
Abdalla Hamdok. Burkina Faso's membership was suspended by the African Union in the aftermath of a
military coup on 31 January 2022. Niger's membership was suspended by the African Union on 22 August 2023 following a
military coup in late July that deposed democratically elected president
Mohamed Bazoum; this has since also led to the
2023-2024 Nigerien crisis. Following the
2025 Malagasy coup d'état, Madagascar's membership was suspended. Following
2025 Guinea-Bissau coup d'état, Guinea-Bissau's membership was suspended.
Formerly suspended members Guinea's membership was also suspended by the African Union on 10 September 2021, after a
military coup deposed the country's President
Alpha Condé. After almost five years, Guinea was readmitted into the AU in January 2026. Gabon's membership was suspended by the African Union on 31 August 2023 following a
military coup that deposed president
Ali Bongo Ondimba. In April 2025, the African Union decided to readmit Gabon.
Members • • • • • (suspended) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (suspended) • • • • • • (suspended) • • (suspended) • • • • • • (suspended) • • • • • • • • • • • (suspended) • • • • • •
Observers • • (suspended as of February 2023) • • • • • • • •
Governance The principal topic for debate at the July 2007 AU summit held in
Accra, Ghana, was the creation of a Union Government, with the aim of moving towards a
United States of Africa. A study on the Union Government was adopted in late 2006, and proposes various options for "completing" the African Union project. There are divisions among African states on the proposals, with some (notably
Libya) following a maximalist view leading to a common government with an AU army; and others (especially the southern African states) supporting rather a strengthening of the existing structures, with some reforms to deal with administrative and political challenges in making the AU Commission and other bodies truly effective. Following a heated debate in Accra, the
Assembly of Heads of State and Government agreed in the form of a declaration to review the state of affairs of the AU with a view to determining its readiness towards a Union Government. In particular, the Assembly agreed to: • Accelerate the economic and political integration of the African continent, including the formation of a Union Government of Africa; • Conduct an audit of the institutions and organs of the AU; review the relationship between the AU and the RECs; find ways to strengthen the AU and elaborate a timeframe to establish a Union Government of Africa. The declaration lastly noted the "importance of involving the African peoples, including
Africans in the Diaspora, in the processes leading to the formation of the Union Government". Following this decision, a panel of eminent persons was set up to conduct the "audit review". The review team began its work on 1 September 2007. The review was presented to the Assembly of Heads of State and Government at the January 2008 summit in Addis Ababa. No final decision was taken on the recommendations, however, and a committee of ten heads of state was appointed to consider the review and report back to the July 2008 summit to be held in Egypt. At the July 2008 summit, a decision was once again deferred, for a "final" debate at the January 2009 summit to be held in Addis Ababa.
Role of African Union One of the key debates in relation to the achievement of greater continental integration is the relative priority that should be given to integration of the continent as a unit in itself or to integration of the sub-regions. The 1980
Lagos Plan of Action for the Development of Africa and the 1991 treaty to establish the African Economic Community (also referred to as the Abuja Treaty), proposed the creation of
Regional Economic Communities (RECs) as the basis for African integration, with a timetable for regional and then continental integration to follow. Currently, there are eight RECs recognised by the AU, each established under a separate regional treaty. They are: •
Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) •
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) •
Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) •
East African Community (EAC) •
Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) •
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) •
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) •
Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) The membership of many of the communities overlaps, and their rationalisation has been under discussion for several years—and formed the theme of the 2006 Banjul summit. At the July 2007 Accra summit the Assembly finally decided to adopt a Protocol on Relations between the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities. This protocol is intended to facilitate the harmonisation of policies and ensure compliance with the Abuja Treaty and Lagos Plan of Action time frames.
Selection of the chairperson In 2006, the AU decided to create a Committee "to consider the implementation of a rotation system between the regions" in relation to the presidency. Controversy arose at the 2006 summit when Sudan announced its candidacy for the AU's chairmanship, as a representative of the East African region. Several member states refused to support Sudan because of tensions over
Darfur (see also below). Sudan ultimately withdrew its candidacy and President
Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the
Republic of the Congo was elected to a one-year term. At the January 2007 summit, Sassou-Nguesso was replaced by President
John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana, despite another attempt by Sudan to gain the chair. The year 2007 was the 50th anniversary of Ghana's independence, a symbolic moment for the country to hold the chair of the AU—and to host the mid-year summit at which the proposed Union Government was also discussed. In January 2008, President
Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania took over as chair, representing the East African region and thus apparently ending Sudan's attempt to become chair—at least till the rotation returned to East Africa. The current chair is
Évariste Ndayishimiye, President of
Burundi, whose term began on February 14, 2026.
List of chairpersons embracing Tanzanian President
Kikwete after assuming the chairmanship
Headquarters The main administrative capital of the African Union is in
Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, where the African Union Commission is headquartered. A new headquarters complex, the
AU Conference Center and Office Complex (AUCC), was inaugurated on 28 January 2012, during the 18th AU summit. The complex was built by
China State Construction Engineering Corporation as a gift from the
Chinese government, and accommodates, among other facilities, a 2,500-seat plenary hall and a 20-story office tower. The tower is 99.9 meters high to signify the date 9 September 1999, when the
Organisation of African Unity voted to become the African Union. The building cost US $200 million to construct.
Espionage accusations On 26 January 2018, five years after the completion of the building of the AU Headquarters, the French newspaper
Le Monde published an article stating that the Chinese government had heavily bugged the building, installing listening devices in the walls and furniture and setting up the computer system to copy data to servers in Shanghai daily.
Moussa Faki Mahamat, head of the African Union Commission, said the allegations in the
Le Mondes report were false. "These are totally false allegations and I believe that we are completely disregarding them." The African Union replaced its Chinese-supplied servers and started encrypting its communications following the event.
African Union summits Foreign relations The individual member states of the African Union coordinate foreign policy through this agency, in addition to conducting their own
international relations on a state-by-state basis. The AU represents the interests of African peoples at large in
intergovernmental organisations (IGOs); for instance, it is a
permanent observer at the
United Nations General Assembly. Both the African Union and the United Nations work in tandem to address issues of common concerns in various areas. The African Union Mission to the United Nations aspires to serve as a bridge between the two organisations. Membership of the AU overlaps with other IGOs, and occasionally, these third-party organisations and the AU will coordinate on matters of public policy. The African Union maintains special diplomatic representation with the
United States and the
European Union.
Africa–Caribbean relations Many
Caribbean nations have sought to deepen ties with the continent of
Africa. The African Union has referred to the Caribbean as the potential "Sixth Region" of the bloc. Some Caribbean nations moved to join African institutions, including
Barbados,
the Bahamas and
Guyana, which all became members of the
African Export–Import Bank. Also, the
Caribbean Development Bank signed a cooperation strategic partnership agreement with the
African Development Bank (AfDB).
Antigua and Barbuda has also shown interest in a direct transport link between Africa and the Caribbean. However, it has resulted in some challenges regarding migration.
Africa–China relations One of the leading economic partners of the continent has been the
People's Republic of China (PRC). The
Forum on China–Africa Cooperation is the main multi-lateral coordination mechanism between the African countries and China. Since joining FOCAC in 2012, the African Union has increasingly played a coordinating role, although each African country in FOCAC continues to represent itself individually.
Africa–EU relations in
Rome For the European Commission, the European Union's relationship with Africa is a key priority. The future Africa-EU partnership vision of the European Commission and the European External Action Service is outlined in the Joint Communication "Towards a Comprehensive Strategy with Africa". It proposes partnering on: • Green Transition and Energy Access • Digital Transformation • Sustainable Growth and Jobs • Peace, Security and Governance On 2 December 2020, five Africa-Europe Foundation Strategy Groups were established in the areas of Health, Digital, Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems, Sustainable energy and Transport and Connectivity. It was done together with a consortium comprising Friends of Europe, Mo Ibrahim Foundation and IPEMED. This has been itself replaced in 2021 by the European Peace Facility. The AU and EU are also partnering on promoting sustainable resources management,
environmental resilience, and
climate change mitigation Africa–India relations held in New Delhi, 2008 The
India–Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) is the official platform for
Africa-India relations. IAFS is held once in every three years. It was first held from April 4 to April 8, 2008 in
New Delhi,
India. In 2015, the
Third India-Africa Forum Summit was held in
New Delhi and summit was attended by 51 heads of states of the African Union. In 2023, the African Union was admitted to
G20 under the presidency of
India, chaired by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in
New Delhi.
Africa–Palestine relations The African Union periodically invites the
President of the State of Palestine to make an opening speech during its annual Summit in Addis Ababa. According to Article 10 of the Rules of Procedure of the Union, during the opening of the meeting sessions, the President of the State of Palestine in person is entitled to make an opening speech. After the
Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, African Union Commission Chairperson
Moussa Faki expressed his "utmost concern" at the situation and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities; additionally, he recalled that denial of the fundamental rights of the
Palestinian people, particularly that of an independent and sovereign
State of Palestine, was the "main cause of the permanent
Israeli-Palestinian tension".
Africa–Russia relations Russia hosted the first
Africa-Russia heads-of-state summit on October 23–24, 2019, Representatives from all 54 African states, including 43 heads-of-state or government, attended the summit. The
second Russia-Africa Summit was scheduled for October 2022 in
Addis Ababa, but was then rescheduled to 26–29 July 2023 in
Saint Petersburg.
Africa–South Korea relations The first summit was the
South Korea–Africa Summit, Seoul in June 2024.
Africa–Turkey relations Turkey–Africa relations have gained substantial momentum since the declaration of Turkey as a strategic partner of the continent by the African Union in January 2008. Since 2008, various major summits and meetings have been taking place between Turkey and AU. The first summit was The Turkey–Africa Cooperation summit, Istanbul in August 2008. As of 2020, Turkey has embassies in 42 countries and commercial counselors in 26 countries on the Africa continent. Turkey's national flag carrier
Turkish Airlines also flies to 35 destinations on the continent.
Africa–United Kingdom relations The sovereignty of the
Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean is
disputed between the United Kingdom and
Mauritius. In February 2019, the
International Court of Justice in
The Hague issued
an advisory opinion stating that the UK must transfer the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius. The African Union has urged the United Kingdom to comply with a
United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for it to withdraw from the Chagos Islands.
Africa–United States relations Chairperson
Moussa Faki, US President
Joe Biden and African leaders at the
United States–Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C., 15 December 2022 In 2017,
Donald Trump,
President of the United States, issued an executive order to ban citizens from seven countries with suspected links to terrorism from entering the United States. Three of these are African countries, and members of the AU. During the 28th African Union Summit in Ethiopia, African leaders criticised the ban as they expressed their growing concerns for the future of the African economy under President Trump's leadership and subsequent policies.
Military The African Union has the power to militarily intervene on behalf of its member states as laid out in Article 4(h) of the
Constitutive Act of the African Union, "in respect of grave circumstances, namely: war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity".
Togo In response to the death of
Gnassingbé Eyadéma, President of
Togo, on 5 February 2005, AU leaders described the appointment of his son,
Faure Gnassingbé, to the presidency to have been a
military coup. Togo's constitution calls for the speaker of parliament to succeed the president in the event of his death. By law, the parliament speaker must call national elections to choose a new president within sixty days. The AU's protest forced Gnassingbé to hold elections. Under heavy allegations of election fraud, he was officially elected president on 4 May 2005.
Mauritania On 3 August 2005, a coup in
Mauritania led the African Union to suspend the country from all organisational activities. The military council that took control of Mauritania promised to hold elections within two years. These were held in early 2007, the first time that the country had held elections that were generally agreed to be of an acceptable standard. Following the elections, Mauritania's membership of the AU was restored. However, on 6 August 2008, a fresh coup overthrew the government elected in 2007. The AU once again suspended Mauritania from the continental body. The suspension was once again lifted in 2009 after the military junta agreed with the opposition to organise elections.
Mali (formerly
GSPC) area of operations In March 2012, a military coup was staged in Mali, when an alliance of Touareg and Islamist forces conquered the north, resulting in a coming to power of the Islamists. This resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Malian soldiers and the loss of control over their camps and positions. After a military intervention with help from French troops, the region was in control of the Malian army. To reinstall local authorities, the AU helped to form a caretaker government, supporting it and holding presidential elections in Mali in July 2013. In 2013, a summit for the African Union was held and it was decided that the African Union was going to enlarge their military presence in Mali. The AU decided to do this because of increasing tensions between al-Qaeda forces and the Mali army. There have been several rebel groups that are vying for control of parts of Mali. These rebel groups include the
National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), the National Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLNA), Ganda Koy, Ganda Izo,
Ansar ad-Din, and
Al-Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). AU forces have been tasked with counterinsurgency missions in Mali as well as governing presidential elections to ensure as smooth a transition of power as possible.
2021 hotspots A disputed election in December 2020 has led to intensification of the
Central African Republic Civil War, displacing 200,000 people. United Nations peacekeepers, including soldiers from Russia and Rwanda, have kept the rebels out of
Bangui, but rebels control much of the rest of the country. The AU has not sent peacekeepers to the areas because of a lack of agreement on how to handle the situation:
Chad and the
Republic of the Congo support the rebels while
Rwanda and
Angola support the government. Among its principles is "Peaceful resolution of conflicts among Member States of the Union through such appropriate means as may be decided upon by the Assembly". The primary body charged with implementing these objectives and principles is the Peace and Security Council. The PSC has the power, among other things, to authorise peace support missions, to impose sanctions in case of unconstitutional change of government, and to "take initiatives and action it deems appropriate" in response to potential or actual conflicts. The PSC is a decision-making body in its own right, and its decisions are binding on member states. Article 4(h) of the Constitutive Act, repeated in Article 4 of the Protocol to the Constitutive Act on the PSC, also recognises the right of the Union to intervene in a member state in circumstances of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. Any decision to intervene in a member state under Article 4 of the Constitutive Act will be made by the Assembly on the recommendation of the PSC. Since it first met in 2004, the PSC has been active in relation to the crises in
Darfur,
Comoros,
Somalia,
Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Burundi,
Ivory Coast and other countries. It has adopted resolutions creating the AU peacekeeping operations in Somalia and Darfur, and imposing sanctions against persons undermining peace and security (such as travel bans and asset freezes against the leaders of the rebellion in Comoros). The council is in the process of overseeing the establishment of a "standby force" to serve as a permanent African peacekeeping force. The founding treaty of the AU also called for the establishment of the
African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), including the
African Standby Force (ASF), which is to be deployed in emergencies. That means, in cases of genocide or other serious human-rights violations, an ASF mission can be launched even against the wishes of the government of the country concerned, as long as it is approved by the AU. In past AU peacekeeping missions, the concept was not yet applied and forces had to be mobilised from member states. Although the ASF was declared fully operational in 2016 and used from 2017 onwards in ECOWAS, ECCAS and SADC interventions to the
Gambia,
Lesotho,
Mozambique and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, it has not been deployed in the same way as originally conceived. Instead of the PSC acting as the primary initiator of ASF action as previously planned, Regional Economic Communities have taken charge of mobilizing ASF capabilities. In light of continued criticism, ASF reform remains a prominent topic of discussion at the AU.
Darfur, Sudan In response to the ongoing
Darfur conflict in Sudan, the AU has deployed 7,000 peacekeepers, many from Rwanda and Nigeria, to
Darfur. While a donor's conference in Addis Ababa in 2005 helped raise funds to sustain the peacekeepers through that year and into 2006, in July 2006 the AU said it would pull out at the end of September when its mandate expires. Critics of the AU peacekeepers, including
Eric Reeves, have said these forces are largely ineffective due to lack of funds, personnel, and expertise. Monitoring a large area has made it even more difficult to sustain an effective mission. In June 2006, the
United States Congress appropriated US $173 million for the AU force. Some, such as the
Genocide Intervention Network, have called for UN or
NATO intervention to augment and/or replace the AU peacekeepers. The UN has considered deploying a force, though it would not likely enter the country until at least October 2007. The under-funded and badly equipped AU mission was set to expire on 31 December 2006 but was extended to 30 June 2007 and merged with the
United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur in October 2007. In July 2009 the African Union ceased cooperation with the
International Criminal Court, refusing to recognise the international arrest warrant it had issued against Sudan's leader,
Omar al-Bashir, who was indicted in 2008 for
war crimes. The AU struggled to have a strategic role in the independence talks and the reconciliation process of
South Sudan, due to overwhelming interests of African and non-African powers, its influence is still limited and not consistent.
Somalia , a Somali government-allied militia, near
Kismayo, Somalia, 2012 From the early 1990s up until 2000,
Somalia was without a functioning central government. A peace agreement aimed at ending the
civil war that broke out following the collapse of the
Siad Barre regime was signed in 2006 after many years of peace talks. However, the new government was almost immediately threatened by further violence. In February 2007, the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) worked together to establish the
African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The purpose of AMISOM was to create a foundation that would hopefully provide aid to some of Somalia's most vulnerable and keep the peace in the region. They are tasked with everything from protecting federal institutions to facilitating humanitarian relief operations. Much of the AU's opposition comes from an Islamic extremist group named
al-Shabaab. To temporarily shore up the government's military base, starting in March 2007, AU soldiers began arriving in
Mogadishu as part of a peacekeeping force that was intended by the AU to eventually be 8,000 strong. Eritrea recalled its ambassadors to the African Union on 20 November 2009 after the African Union called on the United Nations Security Council to impose sanctions on them due to their alleged support of Somali Islamists attempting to topple the
Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, the internationally recognised government of Somalia which holds Somalia's seat on the African Union. On 22 December 2009, the United Nations Security Council passed
UNSCR 1907, which imposed an arms embargo on Eritrea, travel bans on Eritrean leaders, and asset freezes on Eritrean officials. Eritrea strongly criticised the resolution. In January 2011, Eritrea reestablished their mission to the AU in Addis Ababa. In the fall of 2011, AMISOM forces, along with Kenyan and Ethiopian forces, launched a set of offensive attacks on the
al-Shabaab. In these attacks,
AMISOM forces were able to reclaim key cities including the Somali capital of
Mogadishu. In September 2013, political scientist Ethan Bueno de Mesquita argued that with the help of
AMISOM forces, they had made it "nearly impossible for
al-Shabaab to hold territory even in its former strongholds in southern Somalia". Although much progress has been made towards peace in the region, it should still be noted that African Union forces' still get attacked regularly. Despite
AMISOM being effective, it is vastly underfunded and many forces lack the resources required. Funding for humanitarian relief and the formation of armies tends to be vastly undercut. Prior to the invasion, France helped transport Tanzanian troops but their position in the disagreement was questioned when a French police helicopter was suspected of attempting to sneak Bacar into French exile. The first wave of troops landed on Anjouan Bay on 25 March and soon took over the airfield in
Ouani, ultimately aiming to locate and remove Bacar from office. Bacar escaped and sought asylum in France. The Comoros government demanded his return, in order to determine his fate. Many of Bacar's main supporters were arrested by the end of March, including
Caabi El-Yachroutu Mohamed and
Ibrahim Halidi. Bacar's asylum request was rejected on 15 May, as France agreed to cooperate with the Comoran government's demand. At the 29 June elections,
Moussa Toybou won the presidency.
Current issues The AU faces many challenges, including health issues such as combating
malaria and the
AIDS/HIV epidemic; political issues such as confronting undemocratic regimes and mediating in the many civil wars; economic issues such as improving the
standard of living of millions of impoverished, uneducated Africans; ecological issues such as dealing with recurring famines,
desertification, and lack of ecological
sustainability; as well as the
legal issues regarding Western Sahara.
Corruption Daniel Batidam, an anti-corruption advisory board member of the African Union, resigned after stating that the organisation had "multiple irregularities" and that "issues have come up over and over again" regarding corruption. The African Union quickly accepted his resignation, with Batidam saying that it was a sign that mismanagement towards corruption will "continue with business as usual". In a story published on 12 March 2020, AU staff alleged that Commission chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat was guilty of corruption and cronyism, as well as running of a "mafia-style cartel" that operates with impunity. The allegations were contained in a memo leaked to the South African
Mail & Guardian. This followed
sexual harassment allegations raised in late 2018.
Libyan crisis In 2011, when the conflict in Libya began, the African Union was initially criticised for doing little to prevent the conflict's escalation. Additionally, the AU hesitated to take a side. It was unclear whether the AU supported the Libyan regime or the rebels. This occurred as several human right violations were perpetrated against members of the Libyan regime. It was later realised that the AU's hesitation was due to its lack of capacity and its inability to engage in democratic reform. The AU attempted to mediate in the early stages of the
2011 Libyan civil war, forming an
ad hoc committee of five presidents (
Congolese President
Denis Sassou Nguesso,
Malian President
Amadou Toumani Touré,
Mauritanian President
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz,
South African President
Jacob Zuma, and
Ugandan President
Yoweri Museveni) to broker a truce. However, the beginning of the
NATO-led
military intervention in March 2011 prevented the committee from traveling to
Libya to meet with Libyan leader
Muammar Gaddafi. As a body, the AU sharply dissented from the
United Nations Security Council's decision to create a
no-fly zone over Libya, though a few member states, such as
Botswana,
Gabon,
Zambia, and others expressed support for
the resolution. As a result of Gaddafi's defeat at the
Battle of Tripoli (the war's deciding battle), in August 2011, the
Arab League voted to recognise the anti-Gaddafi
National Transitional Council as the legitimate government of the country, pending elections. The council has been recognised by several AU member states, including two
Arab League members. However, the AU
Peace and Security Council voted on 26 August 2011 not to recognise it, insisting on a ceasefire and on the formation of a national
unity government by both sides. A number of AU member states led by
Ethiopia,
Nigeria, and
Rwanda requested that the AU recognise the
NTC as Libya's interim governing authority, and several other AU member states have recognised the
NTC regardless of the Peace and Security Council's decision. However, AU member states
Algeria and
Zimbabwe have indicated they will not recognise the
NTC, and
South Africa has expressed reservations as well. On 20 September 2011, the African Union officially recognised the
National Transitional Council as the legitimate representative of
Libya. In post-Gaddafi Libya, the African Union believes it still has an important responsibility to the country despite its failure to contribute to the conflict when it originated. Although the African Union is there to keep peace, it is not a long-term solution. The goal, as stated by the AU, is to establish a Libyan government that is sustainable to ensuring peace in Libya. To achieve some level of peace in Libya, the AU has to moderate peace talks which are aimed at achieving compromises and power sharing accommodations as well. == Geography ==