Islamic Cooperation Countries Endorse Djibouti Candidate For AUC Chairmanship

• Foreign affairs ministers representing the member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) met in Cameroon
• They resolved to back one of their own, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, in the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship race
• Mahamoud is the current Foreign Affairs Minister for Djibouti; he will be facing off with two other candidates including Kenya's Raila Odinga
• Interestingly, countries like Uganda, Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, and Algeria are OIC members, but their presidents pledged support for the Kenyan candidate

Kai Eli, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Yaoundé - Member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have endorsed the candidature of the Djibouti Foreign Affairs Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf in the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship.

Dya-Eddine Bamakhrama, the ambassador of Djibouti to Saudi Arabia, revealed via an X update.

The foreign affairs ministers of the countries met in Yaoundé, Cameroon, between August 29 and 30 for their 50th council meeting.

Importantly, the meeting was not for the heads of state, who vote in the African Union (AU) General Assembly, but for the foreign affairs ministers of the member countries.

"Member countries of 50th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization 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 candidacy 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 - 2029," he posted.

This is the first endorsement for the Djibouti candidate made public.

The OIC comprises 57 member states, 27 of which are from Africa.

The African countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Djibouti, Chad, Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Cameroon, Comoros, Libya, Mali, Egypt, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somali, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, and Uganda.

Which OIC countries are supporting Raila Odinga?

Interestingly, some of the presidents of the OIC member states have endorsed the Kenyan candidate.

Uganda, Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, and Algeria are believed to be behind Kenya's Raila Odinga.

It is also not lost that some OIC countries, namely Niger, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Mali, which are OIC member states, are suspended from the AU and no longer partake in its activities.

Other candidates eyeing the continental post are Madagascar's Foreign Minister Richard Randriamandrato and Mauritius's Anil Gayan.

Inside the AU secretariat

The AUC is composed of the chairperson, deputy Chairperson and commissioners, plus staff.

The Assembly, which comprises heads of state and government, elects the chairperson and their deputy.

The Executive Council elects the commissioners, who are appointed by the Assembly.

The Commission members’ terms are for four years, renewable once.

What are Raila's chances in the AUC race?

Raila, who served as the African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development for five years between 2018 and 2023, will need support either by consensus or at least a two-thirds majority vote by member states represented by their heads.

Other countries whose presidents are backing his (Raila's) bid are the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania, Somalia, South Africa, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Burundi, Seychelles, Ghana, South Sudan, Guinea Bissau, Angola, and Congo.

Should he win, Raila will observe the code of conduct for the chairmanship, which states that the office holder ought to take a back seat in their country's politics and, at the same time, be neutral in the African socio-political standings.

The post is currently being held by former Chad prime minister Moussa Faki who was first elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2021.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke

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