May 25, 1963 was seen as Africa's new era. For it's the time Organization for African Unity (OAU)-the mother of AU, was born. This milestone was thought to be sine quo non-for total emancipation of Africa. However, it slowly ended up becoming a white elephant even a cropper so to speak.

The sixties saw many post colonial Africa aspiring for a more autonomous united Africa. As the time lapsed, the dream of unifying Africa became a hoax thanks to the machination and manipulation of African countries spearheaded by west and east, by then.

Slowly, dictators cropped up not to mention military juntas. Togo was the first African to be overthrown. Sadly though, OAU did not step in to foil the coup d’Etat that later on gave birth to many more military juntas.

After many decades of stillness, on 9.9.1999, in Sirte Libya, African heads of state issued a Declaration (the Sirte Declaration) calling for the establishment of an African Union, with a view, inter alia, to accelerating the process of integration in the continent to enable it play its rightful role in the global economy while addressing multifaceted social, economic and political problems compounded as they are by certain negative aspects of globalisation.

This means. The Sirte declaration, that created AU, was the realization of the failure of OAU. The main objectives of the OAU were, among others, to rid the Africa of the remaining vestiges of colonization and apartheid; to promote unity and solidarity among African States; to coordinate and intensify cooperation for development; to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States and to promote international cooperation within the framework of the United Nations.

In its all objectives one was already met. That's to get rid of apartheid in South Africa. Nobody knows why African rulers included this objective whilst it was already deja vu? When AU was dreaming of ridding Africa of apartheid in Sirte, the first post-apartheid president Nelson Mandela had five months in retirement! Did African rulers insert this objective knowingly it would be the only success they'd boast of whilst others were mere impossible?

Looking at the map of Africa today, after OAU, one sees a nightmare. Ethiopia that used to be one split in to namely Ethiopia and Eriterea. Somalia, too, went under thanks to having Punt land and failed state of Somalia. The loose confederation of Senegambia survived just for only seven years. Tiny Islands of Comoro or Juzur al-Qumur are still in tussle between Anjoun and Mohéli that declared their independence from the Comoros in 1997.

Generally speaking, to lend words from Ugandan strongman Yoweri Musevini, AU is the club of dictators that meet annually to do shoptalk and spend the tax of their paupers.

It's totally failed in solving impending crises in Africa. Refer to its failure in Rwanda during genocide, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Zimbabwe and DRC. Sadly, the dreams of its founder no longer exist. Many wonder. How can one unify Africa amidst of stinking dependence and dictatorship?

If anything, if AU has ever brought any reprieve for Africa, it’s been for rulers only that can congregate annually to do nothing but do shop talking and chest beating. The recent shame-cum-blow to AU was its alliance with those that committed genocide in Sudan and African supremacists in Zimbabwe not to mention bloodsucking regimes like those in Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia and Gabon.

AU, since its inception, has nary even barked on rampant corruption almost all African regimes suffer. When it comes to democratization of Africa as the tool of emancipating it, AU has totally failed. Museveni in Uganda, Abdoulaye Wade (Senegal), Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) and Paul Kagame (Rwanda) were comfortably able to tamper with their countries' constitutions so as to illegally remain in power. Meles Zenawi (Ethiopia), Denis Sassou Ngwesso (Congo), Teodoro Obiang Ngwema (Equatorial Guinea), Yahaya Jammeh (Gambia), Idris Derby (Chad), Francois Bozize (CAR), Muamar Gadaffi (Libya), Hosni Mubarak (Egypt), Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (Tunisia) and Omar Bashir (Sudan) have always terrorised their citizen as AU sit iddly by! To prove its failure, AU consented to being headed by a stinking dictator, Muamar Gadaffi.

AU, just like OAU that failed to stop genocide in Rwanda, has, as well, failed to stop the same in Darfur. The only thing AU did is, alas, to be in bed with Bashir.

Yet still, when these political terrorists convene electoral charades, the same AU congratulates them on their stolen wins in lieu of condemning them!

Regarding the economy, AU altogether has proved to be a liability incurring even more pangs to the African paupers. Desperate efforts were made to unify Africa regionally. East African Unity that was perceived to aim at creating economic power house is still struggling and chances are, it'll nary succeed thanks to every country guarding its interests as opposed to others. How can they be united whilst they lack ruler of law and democratically elected governments? In Rwanda and Uganda, dictators have been tampering with the constitutions to remain in power whilst in Kenya and Tanzania the potentates have always rigged elections. Can such carbuncular rulers unity their countries really? If they do is for their interests not those of the people.

Africa under AU is the only continent with large-but-doing-nothing governments. They've become another hole in which Africa's wealth is sank thanks to posh life those making them live. Also, these superimposed-corrupt regimes are but the veins through which African resources are siphoned thanks to playing a middlemen role in ruining the continent. In the main, they're more corrupt than Arab Kings in the gulf.

What astonishes is the fact that despite all above failures, AU still chest beat that it can unite Africa! The same outfit of daydreamers failed to stop coup d'Etats in Guinea, Mauritania, Togo and CAR. Currently, over a quarter of African rulers came to power by means of coup.

What’s more, AU has always, just like its members, depended on cup-in hand begging. Such an outfit cannot usher in any union.

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Email Mwl. Nkwazi Mhango: nkwazigatsha@yahoo.com

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