AU chair ushers in new era for continent

Moussa Faki Mahamat

Moussa Faki Mahamat

Published Jan 31, 2017

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Chad’s Foreign Minister, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has clinched Africa’s top job as AU chair, ushering in a new era of leadership for the continent.

Faki was confirmed the new chair of the AU Commission on Monday afternoon, his election being considered by many at the AU Summit in Addis Ababa as a huge win for Africa.

His extensive experience in conflict resolution across the continent was widely recognised as an important asset, as well as his involvement in fighting terrorism.

“Faki also won over a number of countries with his clear ideas on the importance of regional integration and the need to make the AU self-reliant,” Dr Siphamandla Zondi, acting head of the Political Science Department at the University of Pretoria told Independent Media.

“The SADC had hoped to retain the position of AU chair for one more term, but fielded a candidate who waged a weak campaign,” Zondi said.

Member states chose the best candidate for the job on merit, without being swayed by who had the best-funded or the strongest diplomatic campaign behind them.

While Faki's credentials have been largely under-reported, and his campaign for AU chair was not as robust as some of the other five candidates, his comparable wealth of experience won the day.

He faced stiff competition from Kenya’s Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed, whose government had engaged in vociferous campaigning for her candidature.

A number of West African countries backed Senegal’s Abdoulaye Bathily, whose candidature was strongly supported by France. Bathily recently served as the UN secretary-general's special representative for Central Africa.

“The fielding of Bathily and Faki split the francophone vote, but the majority of francophone states considered Faki a safer option to Bathily, whose country is considered a pawn of France,” Zondi said.

A number of diplomats at the AU have argued that what Africa needs more than anything else is an experienced diplomat engrossed in the intricacies of the conflicts raging on the continent, one who has successfully provided leadership in peace processes.

Independent Media

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