What is the problem with African Leaders and the AU?

If it wasn’t for rigged elections and western interference, how else are the majority of African leaders able to remain in power for so long? Why are they still presidents of their countries 10, 20 or 30 plus years later? There are two main reasons for this. Either the people voted them in fair and square, or the elections were rigged. However, there’s also a third reason which is “outside interference”. The vast majority of Africa is still not free.

These outside interferences which, in many cases throughout recent history, come in the way of western backed coups or foreign “developed” countries arming one side of an African conflict.

African Union’s concerns of unrest

Let’s take the recent violent troubles in Mali for example. They’ve had 3 military coups within the last decade. As a result, it is said that France has suspended military ties with Mali (although 1000s of French troops remain on Mali soil), French troops are allegedly looting tonnes of gold out of the West African country (see video report) and the African Union has recently suspended Mali’s AU membership.

Then there’s the conflict in Sudan, which has been rocked by government back Janjaweed (Islamic Militia) in the west of Sudan (Darfur region) and spilling into neighbouring Chad. Black Africans from the Darfur region rebelled against the country’s Islamic Arab president Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, which resulted in the raping, killings and a displacement of 1.2 million people. Colin Powell, the then US Secretary of State, accused al-Bashir of genocide and Bashir was eventually defeated in a coup and has since been tried and convicted of war crimes and multiple corruption charges.

AU and political unrest

Traveling further east into Ethiopia, conflict has broken out in the Tigray region after rebels stormed a government army base. The Ethiopian prime minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali had just secured a peace agreement with Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki, ending 20 years of war and hostility. Abiy Ahmed won a Nobel Peace Prize in October 2019 because of his involvement in securing the peace deal. However, the following year, he has been dragged into a civil war with Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) otherwise known as Tigray rebels.

If you take a look at Uganda, you will see major problems of a different kind. Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni has been dictator of the small east African country for over 32 years due to rigged elections and intimidating political opposition. Museveni’s biggest political rival and popular musician Bobbi Wine, has allegedly been tortured by Museveni’s regime and several of his supporters murdered. Seeing as Museveni is Uganda’s president and dictator he is the Ugandan representative and member of the African Union. His political party, The National Resistance Movement, has recently won the general elections in January 2021 and there were no AU election observers present. It is also alleged that vote rigging and intimidation of the opposing political parties was widespread.

I could give plenty more examples but I think you get where I’m coming from. There are conflicts all over Africa and the AU isn’t doing anything to end them. The African leaders of these troubled countries all have membership and high positions within the African Union. This is why AU reform must happen now instead of waiting for “agenda 2063” because most of us will be old or dead by then.

The desperate need for AU reform

The AU is the biggest political organisation on the African continent whose role is to serve and represent its global citizens. They are supposed to establish a peaceful and prosperous Africa for us, but are failing miserably in doing so. The reasons for these failures are because of poor heads of states and foreign interference. How can you accept an AU which openly admit that they are “heavily dependent on donor funding” and are incapable of collecting yearly contributions of 40% of member countries? This is an embarrassment and nothing short of begging because the AU receives over 70% of its funding from former colonial countries.* This is why the efforts of Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame of AU reform must be restructured and implemented without any further excuses or delay.

African Leaders: My Conclusion

The political leaders of African countries are incapable of creating peace and stability in their own countries, so having them come together to represent Africa is a joke. A sick joke and because of this, the rest of the world will continue to laugh, pillage and take advantage of the African continent. AU Reform in the only solution in order to achieve peace, unity and stability throughought Africa.

*Source: Political Economy Dynamics of Regional Organisations in Africa (PEDRO).