Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the foreign minister of Djibouti since 2005, has been elected to head the African Union's executive commission. Youssouf secured the required support of two-thirds of the region's leaders in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to secure the post representing some 1.5 billion Africans across the continent.
The 59-year-old was considered an outsider against veteran Kenyan politician Raila Odinga, but observers praised the career diplomat's low-key campaign to succeed Chadian Moussa Faki Mahamat and head the pan-African bloc. The multilingual politician, who speaks Arabic, English, and French, remains close to Djibouti's leader Ismail Omar Guelleh.
Djibouti, one of the least populated countries on the continent with a population of around one million, holds a strategic position facing the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, through which much of the world's trade passes.
6 Comments
Comandante
He has the experience and the skills to make a real difference.
Marishka
African youth need a leader who understands their needs, not another career politician.
Africa
This is a betrayal of the African people.
Raphael
This is a missed opportunity for real change in the AU.
Donatello
This will only benefit Djibouti, not the rest of Africa.
Leonardo
Congrats to Youssouf! He's a strong leader with a good vision for Africa.