Beyond Africa: Why the AU needs a broader definition of reparations

The author contends that current African Union (AU) reparations instruments lack a comprehensive definition, which allows critics to dismiss the movement by focusing on individual measures like monetary compensation. To address this, the document proposes a framework based on five elements: authoritative historical accounts of injustice, unconditional apologies that acknowledge responsibility, broad reparative measures (including debt relief and technology transfer), a relational approach to reconciliation, and a global justice perspective that addresses the enduring structural impacts of slavery and colonialism on the international order.

• The African Union's current approach to reparations, including commitments from a recent conference in Ghana, lacks a comprehensive definition of the concept, focusing instead on objectives and guiding principles.
• A robust reparations framework must be grounded in comprehensive historical truth, acknowledging the responsibility of European states and colonial institutions as well as the participation of some African leaders and merchants.
• Reparations are distinct from foreign aid or development assistance because they require an unconditional apology, which involves acknowledging wrongdoing and accepting responsibility.
• Reparative measures must address both structural and individual legacies of colonialism and slavery, extending beyond financial compensation to include debt relief, technology transfer, institutional reform, and the return of cultural heritage.
• Reparations should be viewed as a global justice project because the systems of slavery and colonialism shaped the modern international political and economic order, meaning the process must aim to repair the global order as well as Africa.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Beyond Africa: Why the AU needs a broader definition of reparations. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/beyond-africa-why-the-au-needs-a-broader-definition-of-reparations

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Beyond Africa: Why the AU needs a broader definition of reparations. n.d. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/beyond-africa-why-the-au-needs-a-broader-definition-of-reparations.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Beyond Africa: Why the AU needs a broader definition of reparations |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/beyond-africa-why-the-au-needs-a-broader-definition-of-reparations |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{instituteforsecuritystudiesndbeyond, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Beyond Africa: Why the AU needs a broader definition of reparations}}, publisher = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/beyond-africa-why-the-au-needs-a-broader-definition-of-reparations}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }