African leaders elected Djibouti’s foreign minister, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, as chairperson of the African Union Commission during the bloc’s summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The position places Youssouf at the head of the secretariat that manages the work of the 55-member continental organization.
Youssouf defeated two other candidates: Raila Odinga, a former prime minister of Kenya, and Richard Randriamandrato, a former foreign minister of Madagascar. Presidents and heads of government from AU member states select the commission’s leader, who serves as the executive head of the Addis Ababa-based institution.
The Djiboutian diplomat was elected to a four-year term and succeeds Moussa Faki of Chad, who had held the post since 2017. Youssouf brought long experience in regional diplomacy to the role, having served as Djibouti’s foreign affairs minister since 2005. His election made him responsible for coordinating the commission as the union confronted security and governance crises across several parts of the continent.
Among the immediate challenges identified at the time were the spread of military-led governments in West Africa and a rapidly worsening rebellion in eastern Congo. Rebels backed by Rwanda had recently captured two major cities there, adding urgency to questions about the AU’s capacity to respond to conflict. The organization has repeatedly faced criticism over what some observers regard as limited or ineffective intervention in armed crises.
The result was also a major disappointment for Odinga. The Kenyan political veteran had run for his country’s presidency five times across three decades and entered the AU contest with a high public profile and support from allies at home and abroad. His career included service as prime minister from 2008, following negotiations that ended a period of severe post-election violence in Kenya.
Odinga remained an influential and popular figure in Kenyan politics, but his more recent alliance with President William Ruto divided opinion among supporters who associated him with a long campaign for political reform and accountable government. The commission election therefore carried domestic political meaning in Kenya as well as continental importance.
For the African Union, the transition from Faki to Youssouf marked a change in executive leadership rather than a change to its intergovernmental structure. The new chairperson would need to work with the leaders of all member states, navigate competing national interests and turn summit decisions into coordinated action across the continent in practical terms. His long tenure as foreign minister offered extensive diplomatic experience, but the conflicts and political disruptions awaiting him presented an early test of the commission’s influence.
