made waves in January 2015, when he was elected to chair the African Union. The position is

largely ceremonial, but human rights groups aren’t happy with the appointment. So, what

is the African Union? Well, it’s like the EU, but for the continent

of Africa. It originally began in 1963, as a slightly different entity - the Organization

for African Unity, which primarily fought colonialism from European countries like the

UK and Portugal. The OAU is famous for helping eradicate apartheid in South Africa, and mediating

several border disputes during the 60s. But it was re-vamped at the turn of the century

to focus more on promoting health, democracy, education, peace and human rights. In 2002,

the African Union was finally launched. There are 54 members, representing every nation

except Morocco, which opts out because of a dispute with another AU member, the Sahrawi

Arab Democratic Republic.

Every year, national leaders meet in Ethiopia to measure progress towards their goals and

discuss new concerns.

This year has a theme of “women’s empowerment and development”. Last year focused on .“Agriculture

and Food Security”, as well as ending poverty and Boko Haram violence. The UN has been working

closely with the union to combat Boko Haram, and the AU has carried out peace missions

in Darfur and Somalia. The AU is also planning a unified African currency system for 2023:

called the Afro. Also in the works are a human rights court, a bank system, and more military

strength for the AU to help protect the whole of Africa.

But the AU is still underfunded, and recent peace missions on behalf of the organization,

have been hampered by untrained, ill-equipped AU troops. Epidemic and pandemic diseases

also challenge efforts to unify the area, as does mass poverty. However, the African

Union’s ultimate quest for peace, and a sort of “peer-review” among democratically

elected leaders at the yearly summits make it one of the most important political organizations

for progressive efforts in Africa, and worldwide.

Some members of the African Union have raised concerns that the International Criminal Court

has a bias toward indicting African leaders. Check out this video from AJ+ to learn more

about the ICC and their role in the world.