The African Union's intervention in internal affairs of state members and sovereignty

Abstract

International law has long recognised the principle of sovereignty that allows states to conclude agreements that limit their sovereign power .in addition, the conclusion of such agreements is regarded as an attribute of their sovereignty, and therefore as affirmed by some theories are not void but valid, as far as their object is legitimate and their consent to be bound by a treaty may not be procured by coercion. As regards article 4(h) of the AU's constitutive act, states parties have agreed in advance to comply with it. this means that these states are under obligation to accept any AU's intervention in their territories in grave circumstances, namely war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. after ratifying the AU's contitutive act, african states are to be bound by the provisions of this treaty including article 4(h) which has codified the right to intervene.