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Chadian president elected rotating AU chairperson

Xinhua, January 30, 2016 Adjust font size:

Chadian President Idriss Déby Itno was elected as rotating chairman of the African Union (AU) at the 26th AU summit which opened on Saturday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

Taking over the chairmanship of the AU from Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, President Déby will serve the position in 2016.

During his acceptance speech, Déby commended Mugabe for his determined term-service of the AU chairmanship in the year 2015.

"He (President Mugabe) served his term with passion and determination and has attained the objectives that laid out," said the incoming AU chairman.

"I am 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,"said Déby.

"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," Déby stated in his speech. Enditem