Morocco didn't attend 27th AU Summit in Kigali

Morocco did not attend or address the 27th Summit of African Union Heads of State and Government in Kigali, Rwanda, on 17 and 18 July 2016, said the AU Commission in a communiqué on Tuesday.

The current Chairperson of the African Union, Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno "informed the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, that he had received a correspondence from the King of Morocco Mohamed VI, regarding the intention of Morocco to join the African Union (AU)," said the communiqué published on the AU website.

"This issue was neither and agenda item of the Summit, nor a subject of discussion during the proceedings of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government," added the communiqué.

In this regard, the AU Commission "wishes to recall Article 29 of the Constitutive Act of the African Union relating to the 'Admission to Membership,' which states that:

Any African State may, at any time after the entry into force of this Act, notify the Chairman of the Commission of its intention to accede to this Act and to be admitted as a member of the Union.

The Chairman of the Commission shall, upon receipt of such notification, transmit copies thereof to all Member States.

Admission shall be decided by a simple majority of the Member States," said the AU communiqué.

The Decision of each Member State shall be transmitted to the Chairman of the Commission who shall, upon receipt of the required number of votes, communicate the decision of the State concerned."

"In addition, the AU Commission wishes to recall that the AU constitutive Act does not have any provision for the expulsion of any Member State of the Union," concluded the Communiqué.