The African Union (AU) has come under fire from Reath Muoch Tang, a rebel official and former member of South Sudanese Parliament, for failing to resolve African conflicts. Tang notes that conflicts are in South Sudan, Somalia, Central Africa Republic, Congo and Mali, among others. Tang’s castigation of the regional body comes in the wake of a piece of advice by former South African President Thabo Mbeki that African leaders should correct themselves and prioritize the needs of their nation’s citizens.

Some issues are unattended to either because the AU leaves regional bodies to take the lead in solving the challenges; some member country leaders are popular among their peers and convince AU member states to look the other way; the crises do not spill into other territories; or AU partners and donors do not consider some situations grave enough to raise alarm. The AU must redeem its image and credibility by retracing its mandate, playing by the rules it has set, shunning arm-twisting and executing its mandate without fear or favour.