Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Djibouti, has been elected as the new Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC).
He secured the majority of votes in elections held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, defeating Kenya’s Raila Odinga and Madagascar’s Richard James Randriamandrato.
Youssouf walked to victory after advancing to round 7 of the elections, where he received 33 votes, sufficient to be declared the winner and successor to Chad’s Moussa Faki Mahamat, who has held the position for the past eight years.
At 59, Youssouf has served as Djibouti’s foreign minister since 2005, under three different administrations. He has also held the position of ambassador to countries, including Egypt.
Mahamoud Ali Youssouf will serve as the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) for the term 2025–2029.
