Dar es Salaam, Feb. 24 -- AFRICA: ON February 15, during the 38th summit of the African Union (AU) held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, African leaders elected Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the foreign minister of Djibouti, as the new chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), the executive branch of the continental body.

He prevailed over Raila Odinga, the former prime minister of Kenya, and Richard Randriamandrato, Madagascars former minister of foreign affairs.

Youssouf has been Djiboutis foreign minister since 2005 and takes over from Moussa Faki Mahamat, the former prime minister of Chad, who has served two consecutive four-year terms as the leader of the AUC.

In his official manifesto, he has committed to advancing governance and democ...