Origin and development of Organization of African Unity (OAU)What was the OAU? It was an association of independent African states that existed between 1963 and 2002, when it was renamed the African Union (AU).Origin and development of OAU. It was formed as a climax of a series of pan- Africanism congresses up to 1963. In January 1961, several African independent states, i.e. Egypt, Ghana, morocco, Libya and Algeria, met in Casablanca and pledged to help Patrice Lumumba of Congo against the secessionist Tsombe. In May 1961, another group of African states, i.e. Liberia, Tunisia and Togo met in Monrovia and agreed to work in unity to solve the Congo crisis. In 1963, the regional groupings compromised and joined with others to form one organization. In May 1963, foreign ministers of 32 independent African states met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to prepare the agenda for the heads of state meeting.
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