Africa: AU in the spotlight

Sudan recently hosted the Sixth Ordinary Session of the General Assembly of the African Union. While the AU is seeking to claim its place in the international arena, a lot still needs to be done. But as the Chinese have always said, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The European Union was initially a coal-and-steel trading bloc; but today, it is a strong common market with 370 million consumers now footing the bills of the African Union in the peacekeeping operations in Darfur and elsewhere on our continent. What Africa needs is a sense of focus and belonging. The African Union Act, if well used, could provide for intervention in the affairs of member states on critical issues such as democratic elections.