The African Unification Front (AUF) is an organisation aiming to promote the

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

and

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

union of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

History

AUF was formed in August 1996. The AUF advocates for transformation of Africa into a federation, with the

Pan African Parliament The Pan-African Parliament (PAP), also known as the African Parliament, is the legislative body of the African Union. It held its inaugural session in March 2004. The Parliament exercises oversight, and has advisory and consultative powers, ha ...

as the highest government, overseeing key institutions including a single currency, and one all-African army. The AUF promoted the creation of the

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...

in the mid-1990s and continues to advocate for an end to neocolonialism. It has also been active in campaigns against abuses by the diamond industry, weapons traders, and unfair terms of trade in the

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

industry.

Organization

The AUF National Committee is the body that elects the AUF president. The AUF Executive Committee is the body that implements policies and oversees the day-to-day administration of the AUF. AUF has been responsible for initiating and organizing several strategies, including the AUF's Fairtrade Coffee Campaign that pushed for reforms in the coffee industry. The AUF, also known as the African Front, consists of a worldwide network of supporters, who believe that Africa must be unified into a

federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

as a means of securing peace and an end to wars and

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

. Although most members of the AUF are Africans, membership is open to non-Africans.

Past leaders

Other past AUF leaders have been Fesseha Demessae who served as Deputy Secretary General and Director of Cultural Affairs, and former vice-president Mongezi Sefika wa Nkomo. Kirimi Kaberia was the first president of the AUF. Mouhamed Taofic Youssouf served briefly as AUF president, after Kirimi Kaberia accepted a posting as deputy ambassador for Kenya in Washington DC, USA.

In the PAP

Following the creation of the

, the AUF became the first All-African (continental) political party. Several PAP members are also members and supporters of the AUF. AUF members who have served in the Pan African Parliament include Dr. Amani Walid Kabourou from Tanzania, Chrispin Mwitila Shumina from Zambia, and

Loyce Bwambale Loyce is a female given name. Notable people with this name include: * Loyce Biira Bwambale * Loyce Houlton (1925–1995), American dancer, choreographer, dance pedagogue, and arts administrator * Loyce Pace, American public health policy expert ...

from Uganda. Other influential supporters of the AUF include John Atta-Mills the president of Ghana, Alhaji Yahaya Ndu who is also a member of the AUF National Committee and the president of the African Renaissance Party in Nigeria, Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh, head of the

Sierra Leone People's Democratic League Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range i ...

(PDL), and Dr.

Miria Matembe Miria Rukoza Koburunga Matembe, LL.D ''(honoris causa)'' (born 28 August 1953) is a former member of the Pan-African Parliament from Uganda. While serving there, she was chairperson of the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline a permanen ...

, formerly chair of the Pan African Parliament's Rules Committee and a close ally of AU President

Gertrude Mongella Gertrude Ibengwe Mongella ( Makanza; born 13 September 1945) is a Tanzanian politician who is the first president of the Pan-African Parliament. Early life and work Mongella was born in 1945 on Ukerewe Island. In 1970, President Mongella gr ...

Symbols

The Maure is used as the AUF's

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

and

emblem An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often use ...

. The head is blindfolded representing the impartiality of justice, and the knot is tied into a stylized Adinkra symbol for omnipotence (

Gye Nyame GYE or Gye may refer to: People * Gye of Baekje (died 354), king of Baekje 344–346 * Gye of Samhan, king of Mahan confederacy 33 BC–17 BC * Frederick Gye (1810–1878), English opera manager * Harold Frederick Neville Gye (1888–1967), Aus ...

).African Unification Front Flags & Emblems
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References

External links

Organisation's website
{{Pan-Africanism African Union Pan-African organizations Pan-Africanist organizations in Africa Politics of Africa Transnational political parties