Institutional power file · AU
African Union
How member states use the Assembly, Executive Council and Peace and Security Council to coordinate continental policy and collective action.
Power mechanisms
Where authority actually moves
Latest analysis
4 related pieces2026-10-05
Analysis
Analysis
The Ethiopia-Eritrea Break Is a Contest Over Red Sea Power
Eritrea's decision to sever diplomatic ties with Ethiopia and renewed fighting around Tigray are reconnecting border security, port access and regional alliances in the Horn of Africa.
2026-10-02
Analysis
Analysis
Tigray's Renewed War Is Now Embedded in a Wider Red Sea Power Struggle
The return of major fighting in northern Ethiopia comes with alliances reversed, Sudan at war and Gulf powers competing across the Horn. A domestic conflict now has more pathways to regional escalation.
2026-06-18
Analysis
Analysis
West Africa's Security Order Is Being Rebuilt Around the Gaps Between Its Institutions
ECOWAS engagement with Mauritania shows why Sahel security increasingly depends on cooperation that crosses formal regional blocs.
2026-06-10
Analysis
Analysis
Africa's Early-Warning Systems Have a Harder Problem Than Detecting the Next Crisis
The AU and ECOWAS are deepening conflict-monitoring cooperation. The real test is whether information can be converted into timely political action.
Primary record
Start with the institution itself
These links provide the formal rules or institutional description underlying this power file. State & Power analysis is kept separate from the primary record.