Somalia candidate drops out of African Union race

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Fawzia Yusuf Adam, Somalia’s former Foreign Minister, has dropped out of the African Union Commission Chairperson race, ending her months of campaigns targeting friendly states across the African continent.

Multiple sources confided that Fawzia Yusuf may have dropped out of the race due to stiff competition from Kenya, which has fronted former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, and Djibouti, whose foreign minister Mohamed Youssouf is among the candidates.

August 6 was the deadline for candidates to submit their applications but FawziaYusuf is said to have quit the race. There are also candidates from Mauritius and Madagascar, who are running for the influential continental seat.

Two months ago, Fawzia said she was under pressure from leadership from four federal states, who requested her to quit the race. Djibouti's Ismail Omar Guelleh is said to have asked Somalia to withdraw her from the race.

"The government and four federal member state leaders have told me to give up my candidacy. I tried to convince them of the importance of the seat, but it was impossible. They agreed that I should give up the seat to Djibouti, who is also a candidate," she said in a press conference.

According to her, in 2016, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had asked her to withdraw from the race because Kenya had fielded a candidate. Kenya's Amina Mohamed, then foreign affairs minister, ran against the current AUC chair Moussa Faki but lost narrowly.

"I have been denied the AU chairmanship twice. I do not know if it is because I am a woman or for other hidden reasons," she remarked.

Her decision to quit comes after Raila Odinga intensified his campaigns, getting crucial support from veterans like Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Paul Kagame of Rwanda. Recently, Raila helped President William Ruto form a government of National Unity after a month of protests by the young people in the East African nation.

GAROWE ONLINE