Africa Needs a Continental Body With Teeth

The African Union has become a back-scratching club of heads of state.

A man in a suit stands below a golden symbol of Africa on the wall. Five green flags are to his left. November 7, 2025, 4:13 PM Comment icon View Comments ( )

When Cameroon’s 92-year-old president, Paul Biya, declared victory recently in his eighth election, the African Union issued a blandly worded statement of congratulations, largely passing over credible claims of irregularities and making no mention of the way that Biya has hollowed out democracy by clinging to power for more than 40 years.

Around the same time, the AU put out a similar message congratulating another longtime incumbent, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, who—like Biya—has repeatedly cha

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