From Architecture to Geometry: The Relationship Between the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights and Organs of the African Union

The Constitutive Act of the African Union envisages a multiplicity of continental human rights organs, including the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (the Court); the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (PSC); and the African Union Commission on International Law (AUCIL). The creation of these bodies can be seen as the fruit of efforts by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (the Commis-sion) to put human rights at the heart of interstate cooperation in Africa. Prior to the Constitutive Act, the Commission had held a near monopoly on human rights promotion and protection in Africa at the regional level since its inception in 1987. Since 2000, however, the Commission's role has been reshaped to accommodate the new organs. This article examines the relationships that have formed between the Commission and the Court, the PSC, and the AUCIL.