Overview

• At a joint summit in Addis Ababa, the African Union said it will work with Caribbean governments to pursue reparatory justice and coordinate demands.
• AU Commission head Mahamoud Ali Youssouf framed the effort as a partnership to honor ancestors and uplift descendants through unity and justice.
• The AU is drafting its own claims during a declared Year of Reparations, with an internal team working for about eight months but no finalized policy yet.
• Former colonial powers expected to face pressure include the UK, France, Portugal, Spain, Germany and Belgium, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders rejecting financial reparations.
• Caricom’s longstanding 10-point plan seeks payments, formal apologies, debt relief and development investment, while some UK museums have begun returning items such as Benin Bronzes, Ashanti gold and sacred Ethiopian objects.