What is "african union"

n. A multinational organisation consisting of 53 African nations.

The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 54 countries in Africa. The only African state that is a United Nations member, but is not a member of the African Union is Morocco, which opted to leave due to the African Union's recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic ( Western Sahara) as a member state (however in 2016 the country announced its intention to rejoin). The AU was established on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa and launched on 9 July 2002 in South Africa, with the aim of replacing the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states. The AU's secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa.