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The African Union declared year 2016 the year of human rights in Africa as well as women’s rights, based on the “international model.” Thus, it replaced old labels with a new one, which is “African Women’s Decade: 20102020-.” It also launched the African Women Fund to support the promotion of women’s rights during this decade. Raising this slogan coincided with the 35th anniversary of adopting the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights in year 1981 in Nairobi, and the 13th anniversary of the Protocol on Women’s Rights in Africa, adopted in Maputo in 2003, and linked to the African Charter of Human Rights. In spite of the new slogan, “Year of Africa’s Human and Women’s Rights” in year 2016, violations still exist in Africa, and 2016 was Africa’s worst year in terms of human rights, according to Amnesty International’s annual report, State of Human Rights in the World 20152016-. This slogan did not have an impact even where the AU is headquartered, namely, Ethiopia, which was on the top of the list of the countries violating human rights in 2016. Human rights violations were also committed by the United Nations forces in Central African Republic and South Sudan, as well as the African Union troops stationed in Bangui. If African countries truly want to respect rights and freedoms, they must allow people to participate in decision-making, stop fighting and administrative and political corruption. They must also enhance the culture of tolerance, build the rule of law and human rights, and connect good governance to rule of law
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