African Union Countries 2023

The African Union is an intergovernmental organization whose purpose is to foster peace and prosperity on the African continent. Africa suffered significantly under the colonial rule of European powers and remains the least-developed continent other than Antarctica, with many of the world's poorest and least-developed countries. Furthermore, political and ethnic violence is a significant problem on the continent. Therefore, in 1963, countries in Africa came together to form the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which voted in 1999 to evolve into a new organization, the African Union.

What Countries Are In the African Union?

In total, there are 55 member countries in the African Union. All members of the African Union are also members of the United Nations except for one: Western Sahara, which is currently unrecognized by the UN. As of early 2023, the African Union also includes a handful of countries—Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Sudan—whose membership is currently suspended due to coup d'états—often violent insurrections that deposed each country's lawful government and replaced it with an illegitimate government.

Countries in the African Union (2023)

Note: Countries marked with * are currently suspended as a result of recent coup d'états.

Is It Safe To Visit the African Union?

Many countries in Africa are relatively safe. For example, people who stick to the major cities in Morocco or South Africa are unlikely to be bothered. On the other hand, some African countries are plagued by civil wars or other forms of violence and might be less safe for people to visit. Potential visitors are advised to consult references such as the US State Department's Travel Advisory page to determine which are the safest countries in Africa and which are best avoided for now.

Africa has also been slow to combat and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and many of its low-income and least-developed countries are still struggling to vaccinate their citizenry as protection against the disease.

Is the African Union Working?

There is some debate regarding whether the African Union is working. Many of the decisions made by the union are not necessarily legally binding. As a result, the AU has a difficult time enforcing a lot of the rules and regulations that it wants to put in place. In addition, the agreement was made to replace similar agreements that were signed in the past—but those agreements were replaced because they were not necessarily working as well as intended.

While it is good news that the countries in Africa have some interest in working together, every country is different. A decision that benefits one country does not necessarily benefit others. These challenges are not necessarily unique to the AU, as they parallel challenges faced by the European Union, the United Nations, and other intergovernmental organizations. But they are significant obstacles nonetheless.