The African Union concluded its annual summit on Sunday, condemning a recent wave of military coups on the continent. An unprecedented number of member states have been suspended from the bloc amid fears of democratic “backpedalling”.
The recent spate of coups d’état on the continent was among the main issues raised at the two-day gathering in Addis Ababa, although African leaders got bogged down in heated discussions over the AU’s ties to Israel.
Less than two weeks before the summit began on Saturday, Burkina Faso became the fourth country to be suspended by the African Union after disgruntled soldiers toppled President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.
Guinea, Mali and Sudan are also currently suspended.
Speaking on Sunday, the head of the AU’s Peace and Security Council Bankole Adeyo said: “Every African leader in the assembly has condemned unequivocally … the wave of unconstitutional changes of government.
“At no time in the history of the African Union have we had four countries in one calendar year, in 12 months, suspended,” Adeoye added.
Former Chadian prime minister Moussa Faki Mahama, who chairs the African Union Commission, painted a stark picture of the state of democracy on the continent, alluding to Africa’s instability in the 1970s by stating: “It gives the impression that Africa is backpedalling to a period when coups d’etat were legion in Africa, and that is not acceptable.”
However, the AU has itself been accused of giving inconsistent responses, notably by failing to suspend Chad after a military council took over following the death of longtime President Idriss Déby Itno last April.
Analysts say AU institutions must be more proactive to prevent putsches.
“It is only when crisis hits that we say, ‘Gosh, how come this country is falling apart like this so quickly?'” quipped Solomon Dersso, founder of the AU-focused Amani Africa think-tank.
Debate on relations with Israel suspended
Meanwhile, African leaders agreed to suspend a debate on the AU chairman’s controversial decision to grant observer status to Israel, postponing a potentially divisive vote.
In July, Faki’s overtures to Israel drew protest from influential members including South Africa and Algeria, which argued that it flew in the face of AU statements supporting the Palestinian Territories.
Both countries pushed to have the issue put on the summit agenda.
During Saturday’s session, Faki defended Israel’s observer accreditation, noting that 44 member states have diplomatic ties with Israel.
He also maintained that the move is “in total harmony” with the African Union’s backing of a two-state solution and Palestinian independence.
Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh has called for Israel’s accreditation to be revoked, saying Israel “should never be rewarded” for its “apartheid regime”.
The AU says it will launch a six-country committee to study the issue, including South Africa and Algeria as well as Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which supported Faki’s move.
Ethiopia peace push
Despite pressure from advocacy groups including Human Rights Watch, the AU summit did not appear to extensively address the 15-month war in Ethiopia, which pits Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government against fighters from the northern Tigray region.
The fact that Ethiopia hosts the AU has made any intervention by the bloc particularly delicate, and Faki waited until last August – nine months after fighting began – to appoint Nigeria’s former president Olusegun Obasanjo as a special envoy tasked with trying to broker a ceasefire.
Obasanjo is due to head to conflict zones this week, and the AU will provide “experts from the African continent” to back up his push for dialogue.