African Union holds summit amid crises over coups and COVID

The two-day summit in Addis Ababa will address six coups or attempted coups over the past 18 months and low vaccination rates. Four member states have been suspended by the AU’s Peace and Security Council since mid-2021 because of unconstitutional changes of government, most recently Burkina Faso where soldiers overthrew President Roch Marc Christian Kabore last month. Addressing African foreign ministers this week, AU Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat denounced a “worrying resurgence of military coups”. “There is very little scrutiny of the credibility of false elections, and that is where they say the problem lies.” The two-day summit should discuss how to be more proactive in addressing factors that give rise to coups, including instability related to armed groups and frustration over constitutional revisions that extend leaders’ time in power, Solomon Dersso, founder of the AU-focused Amani Africa think-tank, told the AFP news agency. “AU member states should not ignore the serious crimes committed by all warring parties, including federal government forces, in Ethiopia’s conflict,” Carine Kaneza Nantulya, Africa advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement on Friday.