Foreign relations of the African Union

The individual member states of the African Union (AU) coordinate foreign policy through this agency, in addition to conducting their own international relations on a state-by-state basis. The AU represents the interests of African peoples at large in intergovernmental organizations (IGO's); for instance, it is a permanent observer at the United Nations' General Assembly.

Other intergovernmental organizations

Membership of the AU overlaps with other IGO's, and occasionally these third-party organizations and the AU will coordinate matters of public policy.

Political

*Non-Aligned Movement (Every AU member state, except the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic)
*Commonwealth of Nations

**Botswana
**Cameroon
**The Gambia
**Ghana
**Kenya
**Lesotho
**Malawi
**Mauritius
**Mozambique
**Namibia
**Nigeria
**Seychelles
**Sierra Leone
**South Africa
**Swaziland
**Tanzania
**Uganda
**Zambia

Regional

*Arab League

**Egypt
**Sudan
**Libya
**Morocco
**Tunisia
**Algeria
**Mauritania
**Somalia
**Djibouti
**Comoros
**Eritrea

*Arab Maghreb Union

**Algeria
**Libya
**Mauritania
**Morocco
**Tunisia

*Community of Sahel-Saharan States

**Libya
**Burkina Faso
**Mali
**Niger
**Chad
**Sudan
**Central African Republic
**Eritrea
**Djibouti
**The Gambia
**Senegal
**Benin
**Côte d'Ivoire
**Egypt
**Ghana
**Guinea-Bissau
**Liberia
**Morocco
**Nigeria
**Sierra Leone
**Somalia
**Togo
**Tunisia

*Conseil de l'Entente

**Côte d'Ivoire
**Benin
**Burkina Faso
**Niger
**Togo

Economic

*Greater Arab Free Trade Area

**Egypt
**Libya
**Morocco
**Sudan
**Tunisia

*Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries

**Burundi
**D.R. Congo
**Rwanda

*G20 developing nations

**Nigeria
**South Africa
**Tanzania
**Zimbabwe

*G20 industrial nations

**South Africa

*G33

**Benin
**Botswana
**Democratic Republic of Congo
**Cote d'Ivoire
**Kenya
**Mauritius
**Madagascar
**Mozambique
**Nigeria
**Senegal
**Tanzania
**Uganda
**Zambia
**Zimbabwe

*G90

**Angola
**Benin
**Botswana
**Burkina Faso
**Burundi
**Cameroon
**Central African Republic
**Chad
**Rep. Congo
**Côte d'Ivoire
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
**Djibouti
**Egypt
**Gabon
**the Gambia
**Ghana
**Guinea
**Guinea Bissau
**Kenya
**Lesotho
**Madagascar
**Malawi
**Mali
**Mauritania
**Mauritius
**Morocco
**Mozambique
**Namibia
**Niger
**Nigeria
**Rwanda
**Senegal
**Sierra Leone
**South Africa
**Swaziland
**Tanzania
**Tunisia
**Uganda
**Zambia
**Zimbabwe

*Group of 77

**Algeria
**Angola
**Benin
**Botswana
**Burkina Faso
**Burundi
**Cameroon
**Cape Verde
**Central African Republic
**Chad
**Comoros
**Republic of the Congo
**Côte d'Ivoire
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
**Djibouti
**Egypt
**Equatorial Guinea
**Eritrea
**Ethiopia
**Gabon
**The Gambia
**Ghana
**Guinea
**Guinea-Bissau
**Kenya
**Lesotho
**Liberia
**Libya
**Madagascar
**Malawi
**Mali
**Mauritania
**Mauritius
**Morocco
**Mozambique
**Namibia
**Niger,
**Nigeria
**Rwanda
**São Tomé and Príncipe
**Senegal
**Sierra Leone
**Somalia
**South Africa
**Sudan
**Swaziland
**Tunisia
**Uganda
**Tanzania
**Zambia
**Zimbabwe

*Indian Ocean Commission

**Comoros
**Madagascar
**Mauritius
**Seychelles

*Liptako-Gourma Authority

**Burkina Faso,
**Mali
**Niger

*Mano River Union

**Guinea
**Liberia
**Sierra Leone

*OPEC

**Algeria
**Libya
**Nigeria

Linguistic

*Community of Portuguese Language Countries

**Angola
**Cape Verde
**Guinea-Bissau
**Mozambique
**São Tomé and Príncipe

*Organization of Ibero-American States

**Equatorial Guinea

Religious

*Organisation of the Islamic Conference

**Algeria
**Benin
**Burkina Faso
**Cameroon
**Chad
**Comoros
**Côte d'Ivoire
**Djibouti
**Egypt
**Gabon
**The Gambia
**Guinea
**Guinea-Bissau
**Libya
**Mali
**Mauritania
**Morocco
**Mozambique
**Niger
**Nigeria
**Senegal
**Sierra Leone
**Sudan
**Somalia
**Tunisia
**Uganda

Diplomatic missions

The African Union maintains special diplomatic representation with the United States and the European Union.

Response to crises and conflicts

*Possibly the most pressing issue facing Africa in terms of humanitarian crises is the Darfur Conflict. International response to the Darfur conflict has been varied and inadequate to stop the violence in Southern Sudan. The AU has created a Mission to the territory, and worked to help solve the associated Chadian-Sudanese conflict. Due to the ratification of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1706, the precise role of the Union in Sudan may change to a closer collaboration with UN forces.
*The AU helped to coordinate the donations of individual member states' to Indonesia after its devastating 2004 tsunami.
*The AU's predecessor, the Organisation for African Unity (OAU) played a role in saving innocent life during the Rwandan Genocide.
*The AU as a body and most of its constituent states condemned the United States-led 2003 invasion of Iraq. In broader Middle East issues, the Union is an observer with the United Nations's Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.
*The AU has played a secondary role in conflicts in Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia. It also served to ratify results in the Democratic Republic of the Congo general election, 2006.
*In March, 2008 an AU force stabilized Comoros by taking control of separatist forces on Anjouan.

Foreign relations of constituent states

*Algeria
*Angola
*Benin
*Botswana
*Burkina Faso
*Burundi
*Cameroon
*Cape Verde
*Central African Republic
*Chad
*Comoros
*D. R. Congo
*Rep. of the Congo
*Côte d'Ivoire
*Djibouti
*Egypt
*Equatorial Guinea
*Eritrea
*Ethiopia
*Gabon
*The Gambia
*Ghana
*Guinea
*Guinea-Bissau
*Kenya
*Lesotho
*Liberia
*Libya
*Madagascar
*Malawi
*Mali
*Mauritania
*Mauritius
*Mozambique
*Namibia
*Niger
*Nigeria
*Rwanda
*São Tomé and Príncipe
*Senegal
*Seychelles
*Sierra Leone
*Somalia
*South Africa
*Guinea
*Swaziland
*Sudan
*Togo
*Tunisia
*Uganda
*Western Sahara:*(includes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic)
*Zambia
*Zimbabwe

ee also

*Enlargement of the African Union
*Africa-Pakistan relations

References