rights of children. Artisanal miners – including thousands of children – mine cobalt in hazardous conditions in the DRC. This cobalt is used to power devices including mobile phones and laptop computers, and major electronics brands – including Apple, Samsung and Sony – are failing to carry out basic checks to ensure that cobalt mined by child labourers is not used in their products. LOOKING AHEAD The AU called 2016 its Year of Human Rights, but many member states failed to convert rhetoric on human rights into action. If there was anything to be celebrated about the year, it was the story of people’s resilience and courage as they articulated a clear message that repression and the politics of fear can no longer silence them. Almost certainly, escalating crises in countries such as Burundi, Ethiopia, Gambia and Zimbabwe could have been averted or minimized had there been the political will and courage to open up space for people to freely express their views. Despite progress in some areas, the AU’s responses to violations of human rights – as the structural causes of conflicts, or emerging out of conflicts – remained largely slow, inconsistent and reactive. Indeed, even when it showed concern, the AU generally lacked the determination and political will to confront such violations head-on. There also appeared to be co-ordination gaps between the peace and security organs and mechanisms – such as the AU’s Peace and Security Council and its Continental Early Warning System – and the regional human rights institutions, which limited a comprehensive response to human rights violations leading to or emerging out of conflicts. The AU has less than four years to realize its aspiration to “silence all guns” on the continent by 2020. It is time to translate this commitment into action, by ensuring an effective response to the underlying structural causes of conflicts, including persistent human rights violations. Amnesty International Report 2016/17 More effective measures are also needed to tackle the cycle of impunity – including moving away from politically motivated attacks on the ICC and working towards ensuring justice and accountability for serious crimes and gross human rights violations being committed in countries like South Sudan and elsewhere. The AU has embarked on designing a 10 Year Action and Implementation Plan on Human Rights in Africa, providing yet another opportunity to address its key challenges. The starting point should be recognition that Africans are rising and claiming their rights, despite repression and exclusion. 23