AU vows ‘zero tolerance’ to undemocratic change

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (AFP):

The African Union has stressed that it has “zero tolerance” for undemocratic changes of power and vowed to push through a continent-wide free trade deal as it wrapped up a two-day summit.

Leaders of the 55-nation bloc met in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to discuss a slew of challenges facing the continent, including coups, conflict and climate change.

On the final day of the summit, the AU said it was maintaining its suspension of Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Sudan which are being ruled by military leaders.

“The assembly reaffirmed zero tolerance against unconstitutional change (of government),” said its Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye.

“The Commission is ready to support these member states to return to constitutional order, the idea is that democracy must take root and must be promoted and protected,” he told a news conference.

“It is necessary to re-emphasise that the AU remains intolerant to any undemocratic means to political power.”

At the end of the summit, the bloc’s new chairman, Comoros President Azali Assoumani, said the leaders had agreed to accelerate the implementation of a faltering trade deal launched in 2020.

The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is billed as the biggest in the world in terms of population, gathering 54 out of 55 countries on a continent with 1.4 billion people, with Eritrea the only holdout.

“I shall leave no stone unturned to ensure that this becomes a reality,” Assoumani said.

African nations currently trade only about 15 percent of their goods and services with each other. The AfCFTA aims to boost that by 60 percent by 2034 by eliminating almost all tariffs.