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African Union (AU)

The African Union (AU) is a union consisting of 55 African states. Its goal is to promote political and economic cooperation on the continent.

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All Content on this topic

Soldiers with rifles

Federal forces capture key Tigrayan towns in Ethiopia

The UN and Western nations, including Germany, are calling for peace talks and the resumption of humanitarian services.
ConflictsOctober 18, 2022
Mahamat Deby in military uniform seated with Saleh Kebzabo

New Chad PM urges dialogue for country 'going up in flames'

With Chad's election pushed back a further two years, junta leader Mahamat Idriss Deby is set to stay on as president.
PoliticsOctober 17, 2022
Nigeria Umwelt l Undichte Ölleitungen verseucht das Land im Nigerdelta

AfricaLink on Air — 11 October 2022

Ex-Niger Delta militant Tompolo leads operation to protect oil pipelines +++ Update on Ukraine war
PoliticsOctober 11, 202229:59 min
Ethiopian security forces patrol a street

Ethiopia: Cautious optimism ahead of peace talks

Analysts have welcomed the upcoming AU facilitated peace talks in South Africa but say rival parties must get serious.
ConflictsOctober 7, 2022
A woman carrying crops walks next to an abandoned tank belonging to Tigrayan forces

African Union invites Ethiopia, Tigray region to peace talks

The African Union has invited the leaders of both Ethiopia's federal government and the Tigray region to peace talks.
PoliticsOctober 5, 2022
A cargo train is launched on Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway

Is Africa's ambitious railway project running late?

The African Union plans to build a huge, modern rail network to connect capitals across the continent by 2033.
BusinessOctober 2, 2022
French President Emmanuel Macron (C) with Congolese President Felic Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame

Africa seeks a greater role on the global stage

More African leaders are calling for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
PoliticsSeptember 28, 2022
Dorcas Djabatey

'I feel hurt; my education and life have been shattered'

In the second part of her story, Ghanaian medical student Dorcas Djabatey, talks about her escape from Sumy.
SocietySeptember 26, 2022
Dorcas Djabatey

How the war in Ukraine shattered a Ghanaian student's dream

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Ghanaian student Dorcas Djabatey decided to escape for her life
SocietySeptember 26, 2022
People walk past a damaged military truck in Hayk, Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Tigray forces open to AU-led peace talks

Since November 2020, the fighting has killed thousands and displaced millions causing a humanitarian crisis.
ConflictsSeptember 12, 2022
Symbolbild African Union | Plenarsaal in Addis Abeba

AfricaLink on Air - 04 August 2022

AU to secure reparations for colonial-era wrongs++Rwanda demands Belgium to return remains of King Musinga
PoliticsAugust 4, 202229:59 min
Vorbericht Afrika-Reise Kanzler Scholz | Ausbildung Soldaten in Niger

AfricaLink on Air – 18 July 2022

MINUSMA suspension in Mali +++ Somalian President Hassan Sheik Mohamud in Kenya +++ Marburg outbreak in Ghana +++ Sports
SocietyJuly 18, 202230:00 min
A farmer harvests an orange

AU urges farmers to boost food production

The African Union is urging farmers to boost food production amid food insecurity caused by drought and conflicts.
Food SecurityJuly 18, 2022
A hand is raised at an AU assembly

At 20, AU has achieved much, but work goes on

Since 2002, the African Union has helped unlock the continent's potential and secure prosperity, but there's more to do.
PoliticsJuly 14, 2022
A man pours grains unto a grinder.

Chad declares food emergency

In Chad, Niger and much of the African continent, food insecurity is skyrocketing amid falling grain supplies.
Food SecurityJune 6, 2022
Senegalese President and the chairman of the African Union Macky Sall speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin

Africans 'victims' of the Ukraine war, AU head tells Putin

Macky Sall told the Russian leader the ban on grain and fertilizer is causing a food crisis on the African continent.
ConflictsJune 3, 2022
M23 rebels withdraw from the Masisi and Sake areas in eastern Congo, November 30, 2012

AU chief 'gravely concerned' by Rwanda-DRC tension

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda traded accusations over fresh violence by rebel groups in eastern Congo.
PoliticsMay 29, 2022
Senegal's President and Chairperson of the African Union, addresses the public during the closing session of the 35th ordinary summit of the organization, in the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 06, 2022.

Coups, food, climate and more on AU summit radar

Four AU members are suspended because of coups followed by sluggish or nonexistent returns to civilian rule.
PoliticsMay 28, 2022
Masked woman at top of airplane stairway, behind her a runway, bus, other passengers

How Germany manages EU funds in Africa

Germany is the biggest donor to the EU fund to curb migration from Africa. Where did the money go? And what comes next?
MigrationApril 14, 2022
Migrants sit onboard a boat navigating in agitated waters between Sangatte and Cap Blanc-Nez (Cape White Nose), in the English Channel off the coast of northern France, as they attempt to cross the maritime borders between France and the United Kingdom on August 27, 2020

EU: Development aid as migration control

The EU's Emergency Trust Fund for Africa prioritizes curbing migration over fostering development, critics say.
MigrationApril 13, 2022
More than 80 people on a wooden boat in the Mediterranean sea.

How the EU spent billions to halt migration from Africa

The European Union set high goals with its Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. DW examines whether the EUTF achieved them.
MigrationApril 12, 2022
ETHIOPIA-EGYPT-SUDAN-DAM-ELECTRICITY

AfricaLink on Air — 21 February 2022

Ethiopia's power dam operational+++Tanzania: Tundu Lissu talks to DW+++How about Swahili as Africa's unity language?
PoliticsFebruary 21, 202229:56 min
external

Assita Kanko: Europe is "babysitting" Africa

Stop aid. It is only contributing to the corruption of elites in Africa, says MEP Assita Kanko.
February 20, 202209:46 min
AU chair and Senegalese President Macky Sall speaks with reporters at the EU-Africa summit in Brussels

EU-Africa summit looks for 'fresh start'

EU leaders aim to strengthen ties with Africa as Chinese and Russian influence on the continent expands.
PoliticsFebruary 17, 2022
Burkina Faso President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba appears in camouflage fatigues and a red beret, flanked by national flags

Burkina Faso junta leader installed as president after coup

Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was sworn in three weeks after leading a coup that toppled the government.
PoliticsFebruary 16, 2022
EU Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and AU chair and Senegal's president, Macky Sall, talking.

Will the Europe-Africa summit help heal the rifts?

With relations strained, heads of state from Europe and Africa will have a lot to talk about at their Brussels summit.
PoliticsFebruary 15, 2022
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtayeh speaks during the 35th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa

Coups and COVID dominate African Union summit

The continent is reeling from a string of coups and COVID-19. But the path ahead still isn't completely clear.
PoliticsFebruary 7, 2022
Delegates pose for a group photo in Addis Abeba

African Union condemns 'wave' of military coups

Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Sudan have all been suspended from the AU due to military power grabs.
PoliticsFebruary 6, 2022
African Union meets in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa

AU needs permanent Security Council seat — Ethiopia's Abiy

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed made the request in his opening remarks at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa.
PoliticsFebruary 5, 2022
A soldier patrols the government palace area

Guinea-Bissau: Coup attempt fails after gunfire in capital

Guinea-Bissau's president said the situation is now under control, after gunmen attacked a government compound.
ConflictsFebruary 2, 2022
Demonstrators gathering in Ouagadougou to show support to the military

African Union suspends Burkina Faso after coup

Chronically unstable Burkina Faso joins three other countries recently expelled from the 55-nation bloc.
PoliticsJanuary 31, 2022
Sudanese youths raise their national flag at protests

Africa's democracy under threat in 2021

Coups, conflicts and the coronavirus pandemic put Africa's democratic institutions to the test in 2021.
PoliticsDecember 31, 2021
A person wearing a Sudan's flag stand in front of a burning pile of tyres during a protest against prospect of military rule in Khartoum

African Union suspends Sudan after military coup

The African Union suspends Sudan's participation in activities until there is a restoration of a civilian-led authority.
PoliticsOctober 27, 2021
n this Wednesday, July 28, 2021 file photo, a health worker administers a dose of Janssen COVID-19 vaccine by Johnson & Johnson

COVID digest: Africa gets 100 million Moderna vaccine doses

The African Union has secured over 100 million vaccine doses with partial US help. Follow DW for more.
HealthOctober 26, 2021
Security officers patrol on the site of a car-bomb attack in Mogadishu

Bomb blast near Somalia's presidential palace

Several people have been killed in a car bomb attack at a checkpoint close to the president's residence in Mogadishu.
CatastropheSeptember 25, 2021
Very few Chinese, all wearing masks outdoors, walk through a normally busy historic neighborhood in Beijing

Coronavirus digest: WHO sees drop in global cases

The WHO says only about 4 million coronavirus cases were reported globally last week. Follow DW for the latest.
HealthSeptember 15, 2021
Guinea coup leader Lieutenant Colonel Mamady Doumbouya

African Union suspends Guinea after military coup

The move comes after a military junta arrested President Alpha Conde and dissolved the country's constitution.
PoliticsSeptember 10, 2021
a fighter loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) mans a guard post

Ethiopia conflict: Calls for mediation grow

Africans around the world have signed an open letter enjoining the African Union to stop the war in Ethiopia.
PoliticsAugust 31, 2021
Angela Merkel with African representatives standing on some stairs

African leaders thank Merkel for support

At her likely last summit with African leaders the chancellor underlined Africa's potential — and how to make use of it.
PoliticsAugust 28, 2021
Bewaffnete Bewohner Patrouille Boko Haram Nigeria Chibok

AfricaLink on Air — 20 August 2021

Are civilians in Africa arming themselves?+++Ivory Coast closes borders+++Al-Shabab in Somalia as AU mission winds down
PoliticsAugust 20, 202129:59 min
external

AU commissions COVID sculpture

Zimbabwean attorney and sculptor David Ngwerume is raising COVID-19 awareness with his art.
ArtsJuly 10, 202102:10 min
Colonel Assimi Goita meeting with ECOWAS

Mali: New government staffed with military

The African country is reeling from its second coup in less than a year, but the new government promises elections.
ConflictsJune 11, 2021
Bildergalerie Resist-Ausstellung in Köln - OvaHerero und Nama Aktivistinnen

AfricaLink on Air - 02 June 2021

The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) suspended
PoliticsJune 2, 202130:00 min
Supporters of Colonel Assimi Goita welcomed the new president in the capital Bamako

African Union suspends Mali following coup

Mali has been kicked out of the African Union after Colonel Assimi Goita took power in a coup.
ConflictsJune 2, 2021
Mimi Mefo Takambou

AU's new leaders may spell more of the same

Mimi Mefo Takambou
The African Union's new leaders will find it tough overcoming the bloc's apathy toward solving the continent's crises.
PoliticsFebruary 10, 2021
A volunteer receives an injection from a medical worker

Africa lags in COVID-19 vaccination drive

Sixty percent of Africa's 1.3 billion people will need to be vaccinated in order to achieve continentwide herd immunity.
HealthJanuary 22, 2021
Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam

Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan back in talks over disputed dam

The three countries are seeking to resolve a long-running row over the huge dam on the Blue Nile.
PoliticsJanuary 3, 2021
Ethiopian military in an armored personnel carrier, on a road in an area near the border of the Tigray and Amhara regions of Ethiopia

Ethiopian forces 'capture Tigray's second-largest city'

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has rebuffed an African Union push to mediate in the war with northern rebel forces.
ConflictsNovember 21, 2020
Ethiopian refugees hold up banners

African leaders seek mediation as Tigray conflict escalates

African leaders are trying to alleviate tensions in the Tigray region as Ethiopia said it had seized another town.
ConflictsNovember 16, 2020
Flags of the African Union

Ethiopia forces personnel changes over Tigray conflict

Ethiopia has replaced the head of the troubled region and pressured the African Union to sack its security chief.
PoliticsNovember 13, 2020