AFRICAN UNION AT 20

Question 1

WHY IN NEWS?

Answer 1

The African Union(AU) is in news due to its 20th year of establishment.

Question 2

AFRICAN UNION - BASICS

Answer 2

The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa.

The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September, 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union.

The bloc was founded on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and launched on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa.

The intention of the AU was to replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa by 32 signatory governments; the OAU was disbanded on 9 July 2002.

The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states.

Motto: “A United and Strong Africa”
Anthem: “Let Us All Unite and Celebrate Together”

The AU’s secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa,, Ethiopia.

The largest city in the AU is Lagos, Nigeria, while the largest urban agglomeration is Cairo, Egypt. The African Union has more than 1.3 billion people and an area of around 29 million km2 (11 million sq mi).

• Chairperson
Macky Sall
• Commission Chairperson
Moussa Faki

Question 3

RECENT SUSPENSION OF MEMBER STATES

Answer 3

1. BURKINA FASO
2. SUDAN
3. GUINEA
4. MALI

DETAILS:
1.The African Union has suspended Burkina Faso from all its activities in response to JANUARY 2022 military coup, effective until constitutional order is restored, the AU said on Monday.

2. The African Union (AU) has said it suspended Sudan from all its activities after the country’s military overthrew the civilian-led transitional government in a coup.Soldiers on Monday seized Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and briefly detained him in the coup that came just more than two years into a fragile power-sharing arrangement between the military and civilians after the former removed longtime President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019 in the wake of mass protests against his rule.
3. Mali’s membership in the African Union has been suspended with immediate effect and the impoverished country threatened with sanctions following a second military coup in nine months.
4. The African Union (AU) said that it was suspending Guinea’s membership in the bloc after a military junta overthrew the government.