Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Djibouti who is running for head of the African Union Commission (AUC), has received support from member nations of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The member nations of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) endorse the African Union Commission (AUC) candidate from Djibouti.
Dya-Eddine Bamakhrama, Djibouti’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, made this revelation via an X update.
For their 50th council meeting, the nation’s foreign affairs ministers convened in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on August 29 and 30.
Crucially, the meeting was for the member nations’ foreign affairs ministers rather than the heads of state, who voted in the African Union’s (AU) General Assembly.
“Member countries of the 50th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation held in the capital of the Republic of Cameroon, Yaoundé, from 29 to 30 August 2024, unanimously adopted a resolution to support the candidature of Mahmoud Ali Youssef, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Djibouti, to occupy the post of Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union for the period 2025-22029,” he wrote.
This is the Djibouti candidate’s first officially publicised support.
Of the 57 member states that comprise the OIC, 27 are in Africa.
Benin, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Djibouti, Chad, Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon, Comoros, Egypt, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, and Uganda are the nations that make up Africa.
It’s intriguing that a few OIC leaders have supported the Kenyan nominee.
Guinea-Bissau, Algeria, Nigeria, Uganda, and Guinea reportedly support Kenya’s leader, Raila Odinga.
It’s also important to note that the AU has prohibited several OIC members from participating in its events, including Niger, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Gabon, and Mali.
Additional contenders vying for the continental position are Anil Gayan of Mauritius and Richard Randriamandrato, the foreign minister of Madagascar.
Despite having Raila in their basket, Kenyans online are also in support of the Djibouti candidate. Netizens assert that their candidate abandoned them during a critical period, making them unfit for the position in Africa.
I just wanted to drop by and say how much I appreciate your blog. Your writing style is both engaging and informative, making it a pleasure to read. Looking forward to your future posts!