At the annual African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Djibouti’s Foreign Minister, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has been elected as the new Chair of the AU Commission. His victory comes at a time when the continent is grappling with major conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan.
Youssouf, who has served as Djibouti’s Foreign Minister since 2005, secured the position after seven rounds of voting, defeating Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Madagascar’s former Foreign Minister Richard Randriamandrato. He replaces Chad’s Moussa Faki Mahamat, who served two terms as AU Commission Chair.
His election coincides with growing tensions in Africa’s second-largest country, the DRC, where the M23 rebel group has made significant territorial gains. The AU leaders at the summit called for an immediate ceasefire and the reopening of supply routes and Goma airport. Meanwhile, the ongoing war in Sudan remains another pressing concern, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres urging warring factions to halt violence and appealing for $6 billion in humanitarian aid for 26 million Sudanese in need.
Youssouf has pledged to focus on “silencing the guns” by preventing and resolving conflicts across the continent. He also aims to reform the AU, prioritize merit-based recruitment, and enhance the effectiveness of the commission.
In addition to Youssouf’s election, Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço assumed the AU’s rotating chairmanship, succeeding Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani.
