The leaders of Africa Union countries on Saturday chose a new chief for the branch that runs the organization’s daily operations, as conflicts persist in two of the largest three countries on the continent.
At their annual summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the organization’s members elected Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf as the next chair of the African Union Commission in a secret ballot.
Youssouf, who celebrated his 60th birthday a week ago, defeated Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and former Foreign Minister of Madagascar Richard Randriamandrato. The selection took several rounds of voting.
Youssouf was a close second in the first and second rounds behind Raila. In the following four rounds, Youssouf took the lead until he became the sole candidate in the seventh round, with an unassailable 33 votes needed for victory in the final.
He replaces Moussa Faki Mahamat of Chad, who served two terms as AU commissioner.
Youssouf, who has been minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Djibouti since 2005, is the longest-serving foreign minister on the continent.
All 55 member states, with the exception of six countries that were suspended from membership, are taking part in the summit. An Ethiopian Foreign Ministry source speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter told VOA’s Horn of Africa Service that 29 presidents, three vice presidents, four prime ministers and a king are in attendance.
New chief inherits crises
The election of the new chief comes as the conflict in Africa’s second-largest country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, escalates following recent territorial gains by M23 rebels.
The M23 forces approached the second-biggest city in eastern DRC, Bukavu, two weeks after seizing the main city of Goma. The DRC accuses Rwanda of backing the rebels, although Rwanda denies supporting M23.
The continent’s leaders called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, cessation of hostilities and the reopening of main supply routes and Goma airport.
Sudan is another major focal point of conflict that leaders are discussing. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is at the summit, called on warring parties in Sudan to cease hostilities and protect civilians, including humanitarian workers.
Guterres appealed for $6 billion to address the needs of about 26 million Sudanese who need emergency assistance.
In an interview with VOA Horn of Africa last year, Youssouf vowed to work on “silencing the guns” on the continent.
“Silencing the gun, you know, preventing conflicts, resolving those wars and internal crises ... that we are faced with already is one of the priorities,” he said.
“Of course, this is something that we need to work on, and I'll make sure that the commission will concentrate on that particular program.”
Youssouf also said he will work to reform the organization, recruit the most qualified and skilled Africans, and make excellence, merit and competence the key principle.
“If you have a good staff at the commission, it will be much easier for all of us to implement the reforms that have already been enacted by our leaders,” he said.
Meanwhile, Angolan President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco took the rotating African Union chairmanship, replacing Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani.
