ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Djiboutian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahamoud Ali Youssouf has been elected as the new chairperson of the African Union Commission, with Algerian diplomat Selma Haddadi set to become the deputy chairperson.

On Saturday night, during the 38th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly of the Heads of State and Government, Youssouf emerged victorious in the leadership race against Kenyan former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, and Madagascan former Foreign Affairs Minister Richard Randriamandrato.

Youssouf, 59, will take the baton from his predecessor Moussa Faki Mahamat for a four-year tenure, renewable once. Faki, the former Chadian prime minister, has held the post for eight years.

Born in February 1965, Youssouf is the youngest among the candidates. In 1990, he obtained a master's degree in management at the University of Laval before participating in an educational training program in public management, also in Canada.

Youssouf is fluent in five languages, namely French, English, Arabic, Afar and Somali, which means he speaks at least three official working languages of the AU for effective communication across diverse diplomatic settings. By the age of 25, he had already taken the Oxford Examination in English as a foreign language, earned an English-French translation certificate, and a proficiency certificate in Arabic.

A 44-page resume presented to the AU highlights Youssouf's over three decades of experience in diplomacy and governance. One of his most notable achievements is the establishment of the Diplomatic Studies Institute, a training center for top Djiboutian diplomats.

From 2005 to date, Youssouf has been serving as Djibouti's minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation as well as the government spokesperson. During May 2001 to 2005, he was the minister delegate for international cooperation.

He was appointed as the plenipotentiary and extraordinary ambassador of Djibouti to Egypt and permanent representative to the League of Arab States from 1997 to 2001, while simultaneously working as the non-resident ambassador plenipotentiary and extraordinary of Djibouti to Sudan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey.

Between 1996 and 1997, Youssouf was also the director of the Department of the Arab World to promote bilateral ties between Djibouti and Arab countries. Earlier, he held the position of the deputy director of the Directorate for International Organizations in the foreign ministry from 1993 to 1995.

Youssouf is currently a member of the Executive Committee and deputy general secretary of Djibouti's ruling party Rassemblement Populaire pour le Progres from 2015 to date. He is also a member of the National Assembly since 2023.

"As chairperson of the African Union Commission, my objective is to promote integration, prosperity, and peace on the continent," he said in the vision statement.

"I am committed to strengthening the institutional capacity of the African Union, promoting democracy and good governance, and intensifying efforts to resolve conflicts and promote stability," the Djiboutian diplomat added.

The document also showed that Youssouf is married to Faiza Abdullah. Enditem

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