African Union suspends Burkina Faso over mutiny:

GS Paper 2:

Topics Covered: Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure, mandate.

 

Context:

The African Union (AU) has suspended Burkina Faso’s participation in the organization’s activities until the country restores constitutional order after the military mutiny.

 

What’s the issue?

Like its neighbors Mali and Niger, Burkina Faso has been caught in a spiral of violence since 2015, attributed to jihadist movements affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group that has left at least 2,000 dead and 1.4 million displaced.

The latest move came in response to January 24 Coup that ousted President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.

• This is the second suspension in one week following the Burkina Faso coup. ECOWAS was the first to suspend Burkina Faso.

 

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 AU’s secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa.

 

About ECOWAS:

• It is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa.
• Established in 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos.
• The goal of ECOWAS is to achieve “collective self-sufficiency” for its member states by creating a single large trade bloc by building a full economic and trading union.
• It also serves as a peacekeeping force in the region.
• Considered one of the pillar regional blocs of the continent-wide African Economic Community (AEC).

 

ECOWAS includes two sub-regional blocs:

1. The West African Economic and Monetary Union is an organisation of eight, mainly French-speaking states.
2. The West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ), established in 2000, comprises six mainly English-speaking countries.

 

 

 

Insta Curious:

Did you know about the African Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone Treaty?

Read here 

 

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. About the Bloc.
2. It’s goals and objectives.
3. Members.
4. Sub-regional blocs under it.

Sources: the Hindu