The (AU) summit held this weekend in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, has put on the table the weakness of the continent in a context of interference by the great powers. The African leaders, who elected the Burundian as president, highlighted the importance of ending the conflicts that are bleeding the continent, from Somalia to the Sahel, passing through Congo, Nigeria and South Sudan. However, the summit has served more to confirm the challenge than to propose solutions. The calls for greater unity and capacity to respond to the interventionism of countries such as China, Russia, the United States or the United Arab Emirates were a constant. The economic dependence of the AU itself at a time of cuts in international aid torpedoes these good intentions.
“It is proving difficult to silence the guns on our continent. The institutional situation of several countries is a cause for concern. Open and latent conflicts are becoming chronic. Unconstitutional changes of government are resurfacing,” said the president of the AU commission, Mahmud Ali Youssouf, in his speech. “It is undoubtedly having a significant impact on the affairs of the continent, not to mention the recurring interference in our affairs by external actors. Multilateralism is being tested and we are witnessing the rise of unilateralism and protectionism. Faced with this reality, Africa must strengthen itself by accelerating its political and economic integration programs. This is not an illusion, but a matter of survival,” he added.
However, 63 years after the creation of the Organization of African Unity, the predecessor of the AU, that dream still seems distant. The creation of a , one of the initiatives that should mark this path and which was approved in 2018, is progressing with difficulty. The regional economic blocs refuse to lose decision-making capacity and influence to the AU itself. In 2013, this organization conspired to end the main conflicts on the continent and launched numerous mediation initiatives. The balance, 13 years later, does not invite optimism and wars continue to cause tens of thousands of deaths and .
African leaders themselves identify the problem of financing the AU as one of the great challenges. In 2015, the heads of state approved that, five years later, member countries would fully finance this body thanks to a tax on imports of 0.2%. After extending the deadline until 2025, the reality is that, currently, only 17 of the 55 countries on the continent charge this fee and that 64% of the 590 million euros annually necessary for its operation are provided by external donors, especially the European Union and China.
This dependency, together with controversial decisions such as supporting leaders who harshly repress opponents and citizens, as recently happened in Tanzania, Uganda or Cameroon, means that the AU is also going through a deep crisis of credibility, especially among young people. Since 2020, Africa has experienced no less than a dozen coups d’état that brought military junta to power without the sanctions approved by the AU having done much. At the summit held this weekend, two of those coup plotters who later stood for election, the Guinean Mamady Doumbouya and the Gabonese Brice Oligui Nguema, were readmitted to the continental organization.
Geopolitical terrain
Meanwhile, Africa has become the scene of fierce competition for resources, markets and geopolitical influence among great powers. Russia continues to gain ground in the Sahel and other countries with its military collaboration, especially via training, mercenaries and arms sales. China offers financing and infrastructure in exchange for control over mining resources. The United States, after the return of Donald Trump to power, is trying to cut off Beijing by seducing countries with more strategic resources. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are fighting for strategic alliances in the Horn of Africa.
Meanwhile, the European Union is witnessing the attempts of its members to reposition themselves in this scenario. France, expelled or declining in its former colonies, is redefining its strategy towards other countries, such as Kenya, and Italy – whose prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, was an honorary guest at the summit – is betting on its Mattei plan, with projects underway for 1.4 billion euros and whose ultimate goal is to stop clandestine emigration to its country.
The UN has been the main financier of peace missions, humanitarian aid and the fight against diseases such as HIV or malaria in Africa. But with a 15% smaller budget for 2026, mainly due to US cuts, Africa faces a global challenge. “There is little indication that this institution is up to the task,” said the International Crisis Group in a report published on February 9. “At a time when the AU is needed more than ever, it is arguably at its weakest point,” he added.
