The AU and the challenge of unconstitutional changes of government in Africa

The paper critically examines the African Union's (AU) approach to Unconstitutional Changes of Government (UCG), focusing on military coups d'état. It identifies shortcomings in the current policy's rationale and effectiveness and advocates for the ratification of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance to create a legally binding framework that prevents the auto-legitimisation of coup leaders through superficial elections.

• The paper identifies shortcomings in the African Union's policy position regarding Unconstitutional Changes of Government (UCG) and suggests that the policy's rationale and effectiveness need enhancement to improve its preventive impact.
• The author argues that the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance should be speedily ratified to provide the AU with a legally binding tool to condemn UCG and stop coup leaders from using 'charade elections' to legitimise their power.

APA

Souaré, I. K. (n.d.). The AU and the challenge of unconstitutional changes of government in Africa. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/the-au-and-the-challenge-of-unconstitutional-changes-of-government-in-africa

Chicago

Souaré, Issaka K. The AU and the challenge of unconstitutional changes of government in Africa. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/the-au-and-the-challenge-of-unconstitutional-changes-of-government-in-africa.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Souaré |first1=Issaka K. |title=The AU and the challenge of unconstitutional changes of government in Africa |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/papers/the-au-and-the-challenge-of-unconstitutional-changes-of-government-in-africa |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{souarndchallenge, author = {Souaré, Issaka K.}, title = {{The AU and the challenge of unconstitutional changes of government in Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/papers/the-au-and-the-challenge-of-unconstitutional-changes-of-government-in-africa}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }