UN chief Ban Ki-Moon welcomes election of Zimbabwe's President Mugabe as AU chair

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the 24th Heads of State Summit at the African Union in Addis Ababa on January 30, 2015. AFP PHOTO | ZACHARIAS ABUBEKER 

In Summary

• The UN secretary general was responding to the question on whether Mr Mugabe’s election would complicate the relationship between the AU and the UN.
• Mr Ban also backed calls for the establishment of a regional force to tackle the Boko Haram.
• Critics have said that the election of a leader who has undermined democracy in his country and presided over an economic downturn would be a bad signal for the rest of the continent.

By JOHN NGIRACHU
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ADDIS ABABA

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has welcomed the election of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s as the chairman of the African Union and said he would work with him.

At a press conference at the African Union headquarters on Saturday morning, the Secretary General responded to the question on whether Mr Mugabe’s election would......................
complicate the relationship between the AU and the UN with a broad smile.

“This is what African Union member states have decided. I know that they have their own procedures and practices of electing their leadership,” he said.

“That’s what I know and I respect the decision of the African Union and I’m ready to cooperate closely with the African Union leadership,” he added.

Although largely symbolic, the election of the 90-year-old Mugabe surprised many given his age and the fact that he has held on to power in the southern Africa country since independence in 1980.

Critics have said that the election of a leader who has undermined democracy in his country and presided over an economic downturn would be a bad signal for the rest of the continent.

His acceptance speech was laced with disdain for the West. “Friends we shall have, yes, but imperialists and colonialists no more. Africa is for Africans,” he said.

TERM LIMITS

The UN secretary general also called on African leaders to respect constitutional term limits as elections come up in seven countries on the continent; Burundi, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania and Togo.

“There should be no misunderstanding of what I said. As the Secretary General of the United Nations, I have the very important responsibility to implement the charter of the United Nations,” he said when asked to explain his remarks to the summit.

“It was not focused on Africa. It was for the leaders of all the world,” he said.

Mr Ban also backed calls for the establishment of a regional force to tackle the Boko Haram, who have been on a terror campaign in northern Nigeria that has claimed at least 2,000 lives.

Mr Ban said this “demands stronger and more coordinated action from all of us.”

“I fully support the AU’s move to establish a multinational taskforce which is consistent with the UN’s human rights policies. Regional and international efforts must focus on protecting communities in northern Nigeria and across borders,” he added.

“We must stop the advance of this terrorist group,” said Mr Ban.

The African Union has called for the establishment of a 7,500-strong force from five nations to take on the Boko Haram.

Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria have agreed with the proposal by Benin, which was among the matters under discussion in the two-day summit by the Heads of States.

Nigeria had previously taken the stand that it can contain Boko Haram, but in the face of embarrassing attacks and the fact that the militants have crossed borders, it has agreed with the proposal by Benin.