Question

Difficulty: HardOrganisation of African Unity (OAU) and African Union (AU)

A fundamental structural shift from the Charter of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU) is the transition from absolute non-interference to which of the following principles?

  1. The right of the Union to intervene in a member state pursuant to a decision of the Assembly in respect of grave circumstances such as war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanityAnswer
  2. B
    The compulsory deployment of a standing continental peacekeeping force to quell internal civilian political protests within any member state
  3. C
    The automatic suspension of national sovereignty whenever a member state fails to meet annual economic integration targets
  4. D
    The total prohibition of sovereign military defense capabilities among member states in favor of a centralized African High Command

Answer

The right of the Union to intervene in a member state pursuant to a decision of the Assembly in respect of grave circumstances such as war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity
Under Article 4(h) of the AU Constitutive Act, the African Union moved away from the OAU's rigid policy of non-interference by establishing the explicit right to intervene in member states during severe atrocities including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the core foundational principles of the 1963 OAU Charter.
The OAU strict non-interference principle in the internal affairs of member states often prevented continental action during domestic atrocities.
Understanding the structural weakness of the OAU provides context for the reforms introduced in the AU Constitutive Act.
2
Examine Article 4 of the AU Constitutive Act adopted in Lomé (2000).
Article 4(h) explicitly mandates the right of the African Union to intervene in a member state following an Assembly decision in cases of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.
This marks the paradigm shift from 'non-interference' to 'non-indifference'.

Key Concept

AU Article 4(h) Right of Intervention (Non-Indifference Doctrine)
Rate this question