African Union Declares Slavery & Colonialism "Crime Against Humanity"

African leaders have moved to transform historical grievance into coordinated legal diplomacy, adopting a resolution that frames colonialism, slavery, and forced deportation as crimes against humanity and genocide against African peoples.

The decision was adopted on the final day of the 39th summit in Addis Ababa by the African Union. It commits member states to pursue international recognition through collective diplomatic action while keeping the matter under continuing institutional review. The bloc also referenced progress under Decision 934, an earlier framework for coordinated reparations policy.

Legal Framing Becomes Strategy

An official AU statement on February 15 said the assembly reviewed a study on describing colonization as a crime against humanity and acts during slavery and deportation as genocide, emphasizing historical justice, remembrance, and dignity.

The resolution commended Algeria for hosting a late 2025 international conference on colonial crimes and noted that Togo introduced the draft.

Momentum is now shifting toward global institutions. John Mahama announced he will table a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly in March seeking recognition of the transatlantic slave trade as one of the gravest crimes against humanity.

Reparatory justice will not be handed to us. Like independence, it must be secured through unity and determination.

President of Ghana John Mahama

From Continental To Global Arena

Mahama also noted that 2025 had been designated the AU Year of Justice through Reparations and described it as a turning point, citing the establishment of an AU coordination team and a committee of experts, as well as engagement with institutions from the UN to UNESCO across four continents.

He added: “But our work is far from over,” calling on member states to establish national reparations commissions and seek apologies, restitution, and binding agreements.

The AU said leaders underscored “historical justice, truth, remembrance, reparatory justice, and the preservation of the dignity of African peoples,” framing the issue as both legal and diplomatic.

The bloc’s approach links legal terminology to collective negotiation leverage rather than symbolic declarations, signaling a coordinated campaign beyond the continent.

Diplomatic Campaign Intensifies

The resolution keeps the issue under continuous AU consideration, effectively creating an institutional mechanism rather than a one-off declaration.

Officials indicated that international recognition efforts will proceed through coordinated diplomacy in multiple forums during 2026, including the March UN initiative.

The move marks a shift from national reparations campaigns to a multilateral framework, with the AU seeking unified legal positioning across its member states while integrating earlier decisions into a consolidated strategy.