Crisis Chronology | African Union

Home About Discussion Contact ☰

AFRICAN UNION

06/19/2021

ECOWAS announces plans to launch a single currency by 2027.

11/22/2019

AU orders UK to end “colonial administration” of Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean. A February opinion by a UN court said the islands belong to Mauritius.

07/08/2019

Free trade agreement initiated

Continent-wide free trade agreement, the African Continental Free Trade agreement, goes into effect. It includes all countries and European territories except Eritrea and Somaliland.

06/07/2019

African Union suspends Sudan and calls for a civilian government. Ethiopian PM Abiy arrives in Sudan for talks.

06/07/2019

African Union suspends Sudan and calls for a civilian government. Ethiopian PM Abiy arrives in Sudan for talks.

01/22/2019

EU and AU, meeting in Brussels, voice acceptance of Tshisekedi’s election.

01/13/2018

AU demands apology by US over slurs about African countries reportedly made by Pres Trump.

11/15/2017

AU condemns military takeover in Zimbabwe.

07/10/2017

AU delays deploying troops to border after request from Eritrea.

01/30/2017

With Morocco readmitted to the AU because it has dropped the demand over Western Sahara, king attends AU summit for the first time in 30 years.

01/27/2017

Chad diplomat Moussa Faki Mahamat is elected AU chair.

10/20/2016

South Africa says it will notify the UN that it is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, saying that, for instance, it cannot follow the order to arrest Sudan President Omar al-Bashir when he attended the African Union meeting in 2015. The actual withdrawal would take effect one year from the time the UN is notified. Burundi moved to withdraw from the ICC a week before.

06/14/2015

Supreme Court of South Africa orders the government to arrest President Omar al-Hassan Bashir to face charges in the International Criminal Court. Bashir is attending an African Union meeting and the government of South Africa has argued that heads of state have immunity during the AU summit.

10/31/2012

Dlamini-Zuma becomes president of AU, the first woman to do so.

01/29/2012

African Union is unable to agree on a new head for the organization between Jean Ping of Gabon and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma of South Africa. Mr. Ping faced harsh criticism when he was slow to respond to the question Libya, but many feel that South Africa should not have such a powerful hand in the organization. Thomas Yayi Boni of Benin is eventually selected.

01/31/2011

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea becomes president.

02/02/2009

Muammar Qaddafi becomes president. He has long sought to unify Africa politically.

01/29/2007

Again rejecting Sudanese bid, AU chooses President John Kufuor of Ghana to be president.

01/24/2006

Members select Denis Sassou Nguesso (Mr. Sassou) of the Republic of the Congo as new president.

07/09/2002

OUA Becomes African Union

OAU formally becomes African Union, which commits them to democracy, human rights, the formation of an African Army for peace-keeping, and a Pan-African parliament, a peace and security council, a central bank, and a common currency.

07/11/2001

Votes to transform itself next year into African Union, modeled on European Union.

01/01/1963

1963. Organization of African Unity created