Dear Editor,
Once again, the African Union has demonstrated that it exists primarily to protect the interests of sitting heads of states rather than the rights, dignity, and democratic aspirations of African peoples. Its endorsement of the sham election in Uganda is not only profoundly dishonest, it is disgracefully irresponsible.
That Yoweri Museveni presides over a brutal and authoritarian regime is not a matter of debate; it is a matter of public record. For decades, his government has systematically violated the most basic standards of democratic governance by suppressing political competition, jailing opposition leaders, deploying state violence against citizens, restricting civic space, and weaponising security forces and institutions to retain power.
Museveni is now in his seventh term and over 80 years old, having ruled Uganda for nearly four decades. This alone places his regime in direct contradiction to the African Union’s own normative frameworks, including the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, which explicitly condemns unconstitutional changes of government, abuse of incumbency, and the manipulation of electoral processes.
By congratulating Museveni, the AU is effectively asserting that mass repression, electoral violence, indefinite rule, and institutional decay are compatible with African democratic standards. This raises a fundamental and disturbing question: are policymakers and technocrats at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa seriously suggesting that what has transpired in Uganda meets the Union’s own legal and moral commitments?
The answer, unfortunately, is now clear. Through this endorsement, the AU has exposed a deep and troubling detachment from political realities on the continent, as well as a blatant disregard for the peace, stability, and future of Uganda and Africa at large. It has once again confirmed that democracy and good governance are secondary considerations when weighed against the comfort and continuity of entrenched rulers.
More troubling still is the role of the AU leadership itself. By issuing this message, Mahmoud Youssouf and his colleagues have effectively communicated to Ugandans and to Africans everywhere that their lives, dignity, and futures are expendable, and that the personal survival of an autocrat is of greater value than the will of millions of citizens.
This pattern is all too common as the AU has repeatedly legitimised deeply flawed or authoritarian regimes. Over these few months, we have seen the AU endorse the election of Samia Suluhu, Paul Biya, Alassane Ouattara, Mamadou Doumbouya, and now once again Yoweri Museveni. In doing so, it has made unmistakably clear that it does not represent African peoples, but rather functions as a mutual-protection club for incumbents regardless of how they acquire, exercise, or abuse power.
If this is the trajectory the African Union intends to pursue by normalising repression, endorsing electoral fraud, and insulating dictators from accountability then its relevance to Africa’s democratic future must be seriously questioned. Institutions that systematically betray their founding principles lose not only legitimacy but moral authority.
It is beyond comprehension that any responsible public official, particularly within a body that claims continental leadership, would stoop so low as to endorse elections conducted under conditions of fear, violence, and exclusion. Such actions reinforce global perceptions of Africa as a continent where standards are negotiable, principles are disposable, and citizens are perpetually sacrificed at the altar of elite power.
Africa deserves better than this. Ugandans deserve better than this. And history will not be kind to institutions that choose convenience over conscience.
The AU does not speak for me neither does it represent me. The time has come to disband the AU and its regional blocs as they are a dangerous liability for Africa.
Madi Jobarteh
Kembujeh
