African Union Commission welcomes new chairman

By Addis Getachew

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) - African Union Commission's outgoing chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Tuesday passed the baton to incoming chairman, Moussa Faki Mahamat from Chad.

Faki Mahamat said his top priority during his 4-year tenure would be reforming the structure of the pan-African body.

His other priorities, he said, would be "…to silence the gun, to give dynamism to economic integration, and to strengthen the place of Africa in international scene".

Calling for support and partnerships for his plans, Faki Mahamat said the United Nations would be "in the forefront of our constellation of partnerships".

"I will follow a policy of zero tolerance to any act that will tarnish the image of the continent," he added.

The then-Chadian foreign minister was elected the new chairman on Jan. 30, after beating four other candidates in a seven-round voting.

The handover ceremony in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa was attended by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Guinean President Alpha Konde, Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome, as well as ministers, ambassadors and representatives of the regional economic communities.