African Unity: Some milestones

Isaac Yeboah Africa May - 26 - 2013 , 05:43

The African Union has taken part in efforts to stabilize conflict areas, such as Somalia As Africa's 54 leaders regrouped in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity, the dream of uniting the resource rich continent remains as remote as ever.

Here are some key milestones to the destination to come.

1957: Leaders of Africa's three independent republics - Liberia, Ghana and Guinea - met to discuss liberating the rest of the continent
1963: OAU founded
Initially concentrated on ending colonial and white minority rule in countries such as Angola, Mozambique (1975), Zimbabwe (1980), Namibia (1990) and South Africa (1994)
1984: Morocco leaves OAU after OAU recognised independence of Western Sahara
2002: OAU became the African Union, designed to work for economic integration
AU ended policy of non-interference in domestic affairs - it has suspended several countries after coups, while OAU had been criticised as a "dictators' club"
AU has sent peacekeepers to Darfur and Somalia
2011: South Sudan becomes 54th member of AU (Morocco has not rejoined)
2012: Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma becomes first female head of AU commission

Credit: The BBC