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• With headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the African Union (AU) is a multinational union of 53 African countries or states. Their purpose is to promote democracy, Human Rights, financial stability, eradicate poverty and to end conflicts in Africa. The AU took over from the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 2002, which had been criticized for becoming largely ineffective.

  On Monday, February 2, 2009, the African Union elected Moammar Gadhafi as their leader, a position that only lasts for a year and gives the appointee influence over the continent's politics but no real power. The meetings to select the chairman each year are held in private, and some of the diplomats that attended the closed-door meetings said several countries opposed of Gadhafi's selection. However, every year the AU chairman is from a different region and North Africa has not been represented since 2000, while Libya has not held the position in the African Union's entire 46-year history.Newsday.com: Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi Elected Leader of... (February 2, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Founded: July 9, 2002
  2. Number of Members: 53 member states
  3. Chairman: Moammar GadhafiNewsday.com: Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi Elected Leader of... (February 2, 2009)
  4. Morocco is the only African state not a member
  5. There are 127 languages spoken in the African Union
  6. Population: 850 million
  7. Similarities to the European Union
  8. 2004: Set up a Peace and Security Council - they may decide to intervene in conflicts

• History and Goals

  The African Union was first conceived by the Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who imagined a "United States of Africa" although its structure more closely resembles that of the European Union. In March 2004 it inaugurated a pan-African parliament - one of a number of proposed institutions. The body debates continent-wide issues and advises AU heads of state.

  The underlying principal behind the AU is the belief that peace comes before prosperity. Far-reaching plans include setting up a human rights court, a single integrated defense force, a central bank and monetary fund, and by 2023 an African Economic Community with a single currency - the Afro.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Moammar Gadhafi | Darfur | Kenya | Africa | Rwanda | Somalia | United Nations | European Union | DR Congo Refugee Crisis | Democratic Republic of Congo | South Africa

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