BNP 046: Talk-Shop in Dangerous Times?: African Union Faces Its Moment of Truth

Send us Fan MailAs African leaders gathered in Addis Ababa February 14-15, 2026, for the 39th AU Summit, the Union confronts its sternest test since 2002. From water security and reparatory justice to cyber-warfare, sham elections and a cash-strapped Somalia mission, critics say the AU looks weak and “tin-eared.” With Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye assuming the chair amid the DRC war, and calls for pragmatic peacekeeping reforms growing louder, this episode asks: can the AU reinvent itself — or is Africa outgrowing its own Union?#BadNativesPodcast #AUSummit2026 #AfricanUnion #AddisAbaba #PeaceAndSecurity #WaterSecurity #ReparatoryJustice #SomaliaMission #DRCConflict #M23 #CyberWarfare #AfricanPolitics #Geopolitics #AUReform #PanAfricanism  #FredNgoga  #LieslLouwVaudran #EvaristeNdayishimiye  #InternationalCrisisGroup