Communiqués 1001(2021), 1030(2021), and 1062(2022) Regarding the Re-Emergence of Coups D'état in West Africa (Afr. Union)

Abstract

The issue of how a government comes to power generally falls within the domestic domain and is not a concern of international law. However, the African Union (AU, established 2002), like its predecessor the Organisation for African Unity (OAU, 1963–2002), views coups as significant threats to the peace, security, stability, and development of African states. To shape change, the AU codified the anti-coup policy that the OAU had progressively adopted from 1997, and broadened it into a normative framework.