AU Members Condemn Coup Surge in Africa
African Union official says organization suspended four nations for unconstitutional changes of power and that leaders agreed not to tolerate surging coups on continent 
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — African leaders meeting in Ethiopia have condemned recent coups in the region. An African Union official says the organization has suspended four nations for unconstitutional changes of power. Leaders gathered at the 35th African Union Summit have condemned the “waves” of coups seen in Africa. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye is the AU’s commissioner of political affairs, peace and security. He said summit attendees took a firm stance against any “unconstitutional change of government” in Africa. “What is important is that our leaders have condemned in no uncertain terms that the African Union, the regional economic communities, will not tolerate a military coup d'etat in any form,” he said. To underscore the point, the ambassador noted the AU suspended the membership of four nations: Mali, Guinea, Sudan and Burkina Faso. At Sunday’s closing session, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta presented a report linking coups to political instability and an absence of good governance that undermine Africa’s socioeconomic progress. Kenyatta chairs the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. He called on the African Union to address root the causes of the coups. The report also addressed ways to curb terror activities and politically-motivated conflicts across the continent, including in Ethiopia. Ambassador Bankole says the Peace and Security Council is backing efforts to facilitate talks between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front while supporting Ethiopia’s commission for national dialogue. Armed conflict involving the government and TPLF erupted in November 2020.