News Africa Extended

News Africa Extended

AU elections delayed for me - Senegalese diplomat

Posted: 09 Nov 2016 10:45 PM PST

Professor Abdoulaye Bathily says the Senegalese president intervened to delay the election of a new African Union chair.

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Dakar - Senegalese diplomat Professor Abdoulaye Bathily has revealed that the President of his country, Macky Sall, intervened on his behalf to delay the election of a new chair for the African Union (AU) Commission so that he could participate.

"He made sure that the election at the AU Summit in Kigali in July 2016 was postponed so I could be a candidate in the upcoming election," said Bathily on Wednesday at the official launch of his candidature for the coveted position which will be contested in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The election of the new chair to replace South African incumbent Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, scheduled for July, was postponed to January after the candidates failed to garner the required votes.

At the summit in Rwanda there were three candidates vying for the position - former Ugandan vice president Specioza Wandira Kazibwe, Botswana Foreign Minister Pelonomi Venson Moitoi, and Equatorial Guinea Foreign Minister Agapito Mba Mokuy.

Moitoi is still in the running along with Kenyan Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed.

Speaking at the launch in Dakar, Bathily said: "My candidacy is the culmination of an entire academic, political and diplomatic life at the service of pan-Africanism".

African News Agency

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US urges caution in Sudan

Posted: 09 Nov 2016 01:42 AM PST

The US has asked its nationals in Sudan to take caution against possible protests following hikes in the prices of fuel and electricity.

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Khartoum - The United States on Tuesday asked its nationals in Sudan to take caution against possible protests following recent government decisions to increase prices of fuel and electricity.

A release by the US Embassy in Khartoum Tuesday asked the US nationals "to review personal security plans, remain aware of your surroundings, including local events, and monitor local news stations for updates."

"The government of Sudan recently released an announcement regarding the lifting of state subsidies on certain consumer commodities. In addition, the government has reportedly taken measures to prevent or disrupt activities to protest the measures," it said.

Some Sudanese cities reportedly witnessed various protests against the government's new economic measures.

Last week, the Sudanese government announced a package of economic decisions aiming to curb the rise in inflation rates and stop the decline of national currency.

In September 2013, the Sudanese government adopted a similar package of economic measures, which then prompted wide protests across the country.

The Sudanese economy has been suffering from difficulties as a result of the separation with South Sudan in July 2011, together with the US economic sanctions.

Xinhua

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