President William Ruto has called on the African Union to intensify its response to military takeovers and unconstitutional regime changes in Africa.

Addressing the 39th Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa on Saturday, February 14, 2026, Ruto stressed that the continental body must strengthen the enforcement of governance principles to safeguard democracy and regional stability.

“The African Union must intensify its response to military takeovers and unconstitutional regime changes by investing more in preventive democracy and reinforcing its norms against unlawful power grabs to safeguard lasting peace, regional stability, and good governance in Africa,” he appealed.

He called on the AU to invest more in preventive democracy to safeguard Africa; it must also reinforce its norms against unlawful power grabs and invest more in preventive diplomacy to ensure democratic governance.

The Head of State presented these proposals alongside the report on the AU’s institutional reforms. The report included proposed measures to strengthen peace, security, and governance frameworks within member states.

Trend of military takeovers in the West

His remarks come amid recent military coups in parts of West Africa, which have tested the AU’s ability to enforce its zero-tolerance policy on unlawful transitions of power.

The countries that have recently faced coups include Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Gabon, Madagascar, Niger, Sudan, Chad, Guinea, Mali, and Benin.

Proposal to help address coups

Among the key proposals is the scaling up of the AU Peace Fund from approximately Ksh51.5 billion to Ksh130 billion to ensure the union has adequate resources to respond swiftly to emerging crises.

“We propose scaling up the Peace Fund from $400 million to $1 billion, strengthening preventive diplomacy and mediation, closing the early warning and response gaps, reinforcing norms against unconstitutional changes of government, and revitalising Pan-African solidarity,” he said.

The reforms also seek to strengthen preventive diplomacy and institutional collaboration among member states.

In addition, Ruto called for the swift operationalisation of the African Court of Justice and renewed momentum toward ratifying the Malabo Protocol to strengthen accountability mechanisms across the continent. He also emphasised the need to revitalise the Pan-African Parliament so it can play a more assertive and effective role in advancing continental governance.

He further appealed to African states to present a united front in advocating for reforms within the United Nations Security Council, insisting that Africa deserves equitable representation, including permanent membership, arguing that it is untenable for the continent to remain excluded from the Council’s permanent seats when a significant share of its peace and security agenda focuses on African issues.