- Title: Analyst says AU must drop ‘non‑interference’ to tackle Africa’s crises
- Date: 13th February 2026
- Summary: NAIROBI, KENYA (FEBRUARY 13, 2026) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) POLITICAL ANALYST, HERMAN MANYORA, SAYING: "Open up Africa for business and for trade, for cooperation. That will build Africa. But in order for that to happen, Africa must be politically stable. And for Africa to be politically stable, AU must have teeth. They must walk away from this nonsense of saying we
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: african conflict contributions diplomacy regional union
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: Kenya
- Topics: Africa,Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA007518613022026RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: African leaders are preparing to gather in Addis Ababa for the annual African Union (AU) summit, a meeting expected to focus on the continent’s security and governance challenges as flags flap outside the AU headquarters and delegates take their seats in plenary.
From Nairobi, political analyst Herman Manyora says the AU is still held back by the legacy of its predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity, which he describes as a “club of presidents” built on a principle of non‑interference that continues to shield member states from accountability. “Even when a nation is misbehaving outright, it cannot be called to order,” he says, arguing that the AU’s reluctance to confront internal crises has allowed conflicts from eastern Congo to South Sudan to spiral.
He argues the AU must become firmer if it wants to build the political stability needed for trade and development. “Africa must be politically stable,” he says. “For that, the AU must have teeth.”
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