AU appoints ex-Ghana president as special envoy to Somalia

by: Staff Reporter | 08 May 2021 13:06

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AU appoints ex-Ghana president as special envoy to Somalia

ADDIS ABABA (HORN OBSERVER) - African Union Commission has tasked former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama to lead the mediation process between Somali government and opposition groups.

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ADDIS ABABA (HORN OBSERVER) - African Union Commission has tasked former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama to lead the mediation process between Somali government and opposition groups.

In a statement, AUC chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat has welcomed the appointment of Mahama as his special envoy. Faki said the newly appointed envoy will be supported by AMISOM, the AUC head.

"The Chairperson of the Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, is pleased to announce the appointment of H.E John Dramani Mahama, former President of the Republic of Ghana, as his High Representative to Somalia,” AU statement reads in part. "As the High Representative for Somalia’s political track. President Mahama will work with the Somali stakeholders, to reach a mutually acceptable compromise towards an all-encompassing resolution for the holding of Somali elections in the shortest possible time.”

The chairperson also urged Somalis to cooperate with the new envoy to ensure the electoral impasse is resolved.

"The Chairperson of the Commission calls on the Somali stakeholders to negotiate in good faith, and to put the interests of Somalia and the well-being of the Somali people above all else in the search for an inclusive settlement to the electoral crisis," the commission said.

John Dramani Mahama, born 29 November 1958, was President of Ghana from July 24, 2012 to January 7, 2017. He previously served as the Vice President of Ghana, from January 2009 to July 2012.

The envoy’s appointment follows a request by President Farmajo to DR Congo President and African Union Commissioner Félix Tshisekedi to mediate between the Somali parties.