NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Africa’s top regional body is hosting its annual summit in Ethiopia this weekend to discuss the future of the continent of some 1.4 billion people, but across the continent the organization is becoming less popular.
Set up to “promote the unity and solidarity of the African States,” analysts say the African Union is facing a legitimacy crisis among the continent's youth after failing to meet their expectations. African countries are battling military coups, disputed elections and protests inspired by hardship worsened by foreign aid cuts.
Africa has the youngest population in the world with more than 400 million people aged 15 to 35 years old. But it is also home to several of the world’s oldest and longest-serving leaders — a paradox that has contributed to an upsurge in coups.
With a young population set to double by 2050, it is the only rapidly growing region where its people are getting poorer. In different countries and on social media, African youths view the AU as a bloc of old leaders and one which sees their interests as less of a priority.
The organization has missed opportunities to be people-centered and citizen-driven and has instead focused largely on governments and leaders, said Liesl Louw-Vaudran, a senior analyst with the Crisis Group.
“What the youth is really asking and why people are frustrated is because this is not an African Union for citizens. It’s not a people-driven African Union,” Louw-Vaudran added.
As several African countries held elections for new presidents over the last year, there was a clear pattern of sidelined opposition candidates, disputed results and protests from mostly young voters after incumbents were reelected.
Despite the election outcomes, the AU was often accused of being quick to side with reelected incumbents and slow to call out flawed processes.
As authorities in Uganda shut down the internet and clamped down on the opposition during the East African country’s presidential election in January, the African Union Commission issued a statement “commending” the conduct of the poll. A day after, the AU election observer mission issued a preliminary report noting “reports of harassment, intimidation and arrest of opposition leaders, candidates, supporters’ media and civic society actors” in the election.
The AU social media post commending the election enraged many youths, with one person retorting: “Dictatorship club has spoken.”
One key challenge the AU has battled with over the years is weak enforcement of resolutions, according to Macharia Munene, a professor of history at the United States International University in Nairobi. And that's because "not all members meet their dues or fully accept what is generally decided,” he said.
At the 39th African Union Summit being held in Ethiopia’s capital of Addis Ababa on Saturday and Sunday, the theme is water and sanitation. Discussions will feature the continent’s response to climate change and humanitarian crises following foreign aid cuts from international partners such as the United States.
Observers say the AU Summit will provide an opportunity to align continental priorities with international partners, especially at a time of discussions around a ‘new world order’ stirred by U.S. President Donald Trump with foreign leaders signaling shifting global alliances.
Still, critics urge the African Union to look inward by paying closer attention to the continent’s most pressing challenges and doing more to hold leaders accountable when they fail to meet expectations.
In Nigeria’s capital of Abuja, resident Chima Ekwueme said the African Union does not care about holding leaders accountable, citing Nigeria’s deadly security crises and economic hardship despite its rich mineral wealth.
“They are there for their own interests,” Ekwueme, 32, said of the AU. “In Nigeria, we have all it takes to put things in order (but) look at how difficult things are and where is the AU.”
Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria.
FILE - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Chairperson of the African Union Joao Lourenco attend a plenary session on the opening day of the G20 Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. (Thomas Mukoya/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Federal authorities announced an investigation Friday into two immigration officers who appeared to have made untruthful statements under oath about a shooting in Minneapolis last month.
It is among at least five shootings in which initial descriptions by the immigration officials were later contradicted by video evidence. Those included the fatal Minneapolis shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, where bystander video quickly raised questions about how they were initially described.
The probe Friday came hours after a federal judge dismissed felony assault charges against two Venezuelan men who were accused of beating an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel on Jan. 14. The officer, who is not named in court filings, fired a single shot from a handgun that struck one of the men, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, in the thigh.
In an unusual reversal, prosecutors asked to dismiss the cases because they said new video evidence contradicted allegations made against the men in a criminal complaint and at a hearing last month.
Here is a look at how the five shootings were initially described and what was later learned:
Date and location: Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis
What federal officials said initially: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the immigration officer was “ambushed” by Sosa-Celis and others, and fired a “defensive shot” out of fear for his life. “What we saw last night in Minneapolis was an attempted murder of federal law enforcement,” she said.
What came out later: Investigators have not released the new evidence that led charges to be dropped, but cracks were already apparent in a Jan. 21 court hearing. The immigration officer’s testimony recounting the moments before the shooting differed significantly from that of the defendants and three eyewitnesses. Available video evidence did not support the officer’s account of being assaulted with a broom and shovel.
Date and location: Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis
What federal officials said initially: Noem described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers by a woman who “attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle." She said the immigration agent shot “defensively” to protect himself and the people around him. Good died of gunshot wounds to the head.
What came out later: Videos filmed from multiple angles challenged the administration’s narrative. Shortly before the shooting Good is seen at the wheel of her SUV that is parked diagonally on a street. She tells an immigration officer, “I'm not mad at you.”
Seconds later, another immigration officer grabs at the driver’s side door while Good’s wife urges her to “drive, baby, drive.” It’s unclear in the videos if the SUV makes contact with ICE officer Jonathan Ross, who shoots while standing in front of the vehicle and then twice more while quickly moving to the driver's side of the SUV as it pulls forward.
Date and location: Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis
What federal officials said initially: Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Pretti approached Border Patrol officers with a handgun and he “violently resisted” when they tried to disarm him. An agent feared for his life and fired defensive shots, she said. Pretti was pronounced dead at the scene. Border Patrol senior official Greg Bovino claimed Pretti intended to “massacre law enforcement," and Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller described him as “a would-be assassin."
What came out later: None of the half-dozen bystander videos collected by investigators showed Pretti brandishing his gun, which he had a permit to carry. The videos showed Pretti was holding his mobile phone as a masked Border Patrol officer opened fire.
In a tense hearing Thursday in Washington, Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky made leaders tasked with carrying out Trump’s mass deportation agenda watch a video of the shooting while he repeatedly scrutinized the forceful tactics used by immigration agents. Paul argued that Pretti posed no threat to the agents and said it was clear from the video that he was “retreating at every moment.”
Date and location: Sept. 12, 2025, in suburban Chicago
What federal officials said initially: Homeland Security officials said federal agents were pursuing a man with a history of reckless driving who entered the country illegally. They alleged Silverio Villegas González drove at officers and dragged one with his car. DHS said the officer fired because he feared for his life and was hospitalized with “serious injuries."
What came out later: Body camera videos from local police contradicted the Trump administration’s account. Footage showed the agent who shot Villegas González walking around afterward and dismissing his own injuries as “nothing major.”
An autopsy made public in November declared Villegas González's death a homicide. The report showed he was shot at “close range,” with wounds to his neck and fingers.
Date and location: Oct. 14, 2025, in Chicago
What federal officials said initially: A DHS news release asserted that Martinez and the driver of another car involved in a crash with a Border Patrol officer were “domestic terrorists.” An FBI agent said in court documents that she was chasing the Border Patrol vehicle and drove at one of the officers after they got out of the vehicle. The officer was forced to open fire, the FBI agent alleged, striking Martinez seven times. She was treated at a hospital and arrested on felony assault charges.
What came out later: Videos emerged that her attorneys said showed agent Charles Exum steering his SUV into her truck.
In a text message presented during a Nov. 5 hearing, Exum appeared to brag about his marksmanship. “I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys," the text read.
The case against her was dismissed.
Observers film while federal agents conduct immigration enforcement operations, on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
