2022 Year in Review

STABILITY IN THE REGION
The union’s future stability is at risk as it has not been able to adequately
address underlying issues within the AU due to its focus on various coups. Issues
unaddressed by the AU include Israel’s role as an observer, the ongoing conflict
in Ethiopia and their inconsistency in their standard procedures after refusing to
act on the 2021 Northern Chad offensive.
The suspensions have also had wider effects on stability in the region as
discussions on whether Israel should remain in its role as observer to the bloc
have continued to be a point of contention. AU Commission Chairperson Moussa
Faki believes that Israel’s role can be ‘an instrument of peace’ whilst the
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh encouraged the AU to remove
Israel, stating that they should ‘never be rewarded for its violation and for the
apartheid regime’ towards the Palestinian people. Ultimately, the discussions
were paused to avoid further state tensions following the series of suspensions.
The AU held its annual summit in Ethiopia this February, a decision that sparked
further controversy over the AU’s neglect of Ethiopia’s 15-month war against
fighters from the Tigray region. The nation was unsuccessful in maintaining a
seat on the Peace and Security Council and African advocacy director at Humans
Rights Watch, Carine Kaneza Nantulya, expressed that the AU should not ignore
crimes committed in Ethiopia, including those by the Federal Government.
Furthermore, the AU has been criticised for its inconsistency after failing to
suspend Chad when the Transitional Military Council (TMC) took over the
government after the President’s death. The union’s Peace and Security Council
(PSC) endorsed the military’s plan to establish civilian rule in 18 months which
ultimately contradicted its responses to other coups in African nations.
Thus, the series of coups across the continents not only eroded the strength of
the AU through the suspension of countries but also hindered their ability to
address overdue internal structural issues and to focus on other key areas in the
region.
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