The African Union is less effective at 20 than it was at two

IT WAS A birthday commemorated in style. In the heart of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, the seat of the African Union (AU), water fountains erupted and champagne glasses clinked as heads of state and assorted dignitaries tucked into a four-course meal to the sound of sultry jazz.

The party marked 20 years since the AU’s founding. It coincided with the AU’s annual summit, which took place on February 5th and 6th. Abiy Ahmed, the prime minister of Ethiopia, seized the opportunity to thank his fellow African leaders. They had stood by his government through a challenging year, he said, confirming the principle of African solidarity upon which the AU was built. It was a veiled reference to his country’s civil war, which continues to rage a few hundred kilometres from the city. Neither he nor the other leaders made any mention of his tactics, which include starving into submission the 5m people of Tigray, a rebellious province. That would have ruined the festive mood.