(SenePlus) – In an exclusive document obtained by Jeune Afrique, the outgoing president of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, gives an uncompromising assessment of the pan-African organization. This three-page missive, dated September 30 and entitled “Urgent Questions to Resolve”, highlights the major challenges facing the institution on the eve of its twentieth anniversary.
The observation is particularly severe regarding the Peace and Security Council (PSC), a pillar supposed to guarantee the stability of the continent. As Faki Mahamat points out in his letter, “the CPS has seen its decisions and press releases follow one another without significant effects on political reality and on the ground”. Even more serious, he openly denounces that “the basic texts of the Organization have been violated”, thus calling into question the effectiveness of the current system in the face of unconstitutional changes.
Another critical point addressed in this document is the financial dependence of the AU. The President of the Commission describes this situation as “unsustainable”, explaining that it considerably limits the organization’s room for maneuver, “restricting any desire, however unambitious, on the part of the AU”.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (Zlecaf) has not escaped criticism either. Faki Mahamat is particularly concerned about “the design of strategic partnerships conducted without any significant role for the AU, marginalized in the face of the bilateralization of interests at stake.” He also points out “the obvious deficiencies of African solidarity chains” in the face of terrorist threats and natural disasters.
-According to Jeune Afrique, this initiative by the outgoing president did not generate the expected response within the institution. A diplomat stationed in Addis Ababa, quoted by the magazine, goes so far as to describe this document as “a stone thrown into the pond of heads of state and government” and above all sees in it “the admission of impotence and weakness of his presidency.
While the AU has just joined the G20 in 2024, and Moussa Faki Mahamat is preparing to leave office on February 15, his call for “active reflection” and the organization of a “special retreat “to address these crucial questions remains a dead letter for the moment. The proposed meetings were systematically postponed, paradoxically illustrating the inaction denounced in his missive.
In this tense context, some within the institution seem in a hurry to “turn the Faki page”, according to an expression circulating in the corridors of the AU, reports Jeune Afrique. The outgoing president nevertheless concludes his letter on a diplomatic note, thanking African leaders for “their trust and support” and wishing “full success” to his successor.
