Chad's Ex Foreign Minister Faki assumes African Union leadership, pledges reform

Chad's former foreign minister Moussa Faki Mahamat, has assumed office as head of the African Union Commission.
 
He has pledged to reform the institution and tackle the continent's many crises.

Mr. Faki takes over leadership of the 54-country continental bloc days after the UN announced that the food emergencies in four countries, including Somalia, South Sudan and northeast Nigeria, constituted the worst humanitarian crisis since World War two.

An ally of Chadian President Idriss Deby, Mr. Faki, 56, campaigned on putting "development and security" at the top of his agenda.

As foreign minister, he was seen as taking a strong position against Islamic extremism in Mali, Nigeria and the Sahel.
 
Faki was elected AU Commission Chair in January after seven rounds of voting, beating Kenyan Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed and candidates from Senegal, Botswana and Equatorial Guinea.

Faki takes over from Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who championed the commission's Agenda 2063 development program but was seen as being weak on peace and security issues and distracted by her own political aspirations in her home country South Africa.


SOURCE: NEWS24