Burkina Faso suspended from AU following coup

Burkina Faso suspended from AU following coup

Topic: IR

Context:

The African Union suspended Burkina Faso a week after the volatile country suffered its latest coup, as envoys from West Africa and the UN headed for talks with the new junta.

Concept:

African Union:

About AU:

• The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 countries of the continent of Africa, with exception of various territories of European possessions located in Africa.
• The bloc was founded on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and launched on 9 July 2002 in South Africa.
• The intention of the AU is to replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa by 32 signatory governments.
• The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states.
• The AU’s secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa.

Objectives:

• To achieve greater unity and solidarity between the African countries and Africans.
• To defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of its Member States.
• To accelerate the political and social-economic integration of the continent.

Burkina Faso:

• A former French colony, Burkina Faso has suffered chronic instability since gaining independence in 1960, including several coups.
• Landlocked Burkina Faso, one of West Africa’s poorest countries despite being a gold producer, has experienced numerous coups since independence from France in 1960.