Chadian President Idriss Deby elected Chairman of the African Union (AU) today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Chadian President Idriss Deby was on Saturday elected new chairman of the African Union (AU).
Deby, who took over the chairmanship of the AU from Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, will serve the position in 2016.
Mugabe announced Deby’s election in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, yesterday at the opening of the 26th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU).
In his acceptance speech, Deby thanked his colleagues from Central Africa for unanimously nominating him as a consensus candidate.
He said he accepted the task with pleasure, but with a little agony, describing his new responsibility as heavy and fraught with challenges.
“I accept this task with pleasure, but with a little agony as the responsiblity you entrust in me is heavy and fraught with challenges,” Deby said.
Déby commended his predecessor for serving African Union with passion and determination in the year 2015.
“He (Mugabe) served his term with passion and determination and has attained the objectives that laid out,” said the incoming AU chairman. I’m going to succeed President Robert Mugabe, and it is not an easy task, we will try to do all our best; I would like to assure you.
“You are giving Chad and its people a great pleasure by appointing me as chairman of the African Union for 2016. I would like to thank my colleagues of the central African region who proposed me for this noble function, and all of you here who have endorsed their choice”, Deby said.
Also elected were Benin Republic President Boni Yayi and Paul Kagame of Rwanda as First Vice President and Second Vice President of the African Union Bureau of the Drafting Committee.
