Why South Sudan failed to support Kenyan candidature for AU chair
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Elisabeth Janaina
Feb 1, 2017, 10:26:16 PM2/1/17
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Why South Sudan failed to support Kenyan candidature for AU chair
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Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed speaks, during a Reuters interview in
capital Nairobi April 7, 2015.
January 31, 2017 (JUB) -A high level diplomat in South Sudan claimed
on Tuesday that neighbouring Kenya could not get a full support it
requires from the leadership of the country to win the African Union
chair due to difference between the team members.
Kenya’s Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed lost to Chad’s top diplomat
Moussa Faki Mahamat after seven rounds of voting. Burundi, Uganda,
Djibouti, and Sudan supported the second because of their interests or
against Kenya.
According to a South Sudanese diplomat, Juba also had joined these
East African countries that broke their pledges and supported the
Chadian foreign minister of the central region at the expense of the
candidate eastern region.
“It was indeed painful and diplomatic farce that Kenya could not get a
full support from our team, even when the president had given his word
on the candidacy of the Kenyan nominee,” a top diplomat told Sudan
Tribune on Tuesday when asked to comment on why Kenya failed.
“The president needs to take corrective action because reflects
negatively on the image of the country in which he is the chief
diplomat,” he further said.
He said he personally felt the pain and diplomatic humiliation which
Kenyan government and its delegation could not come with it, claiming
there were actual tears shed by the Kenyan delegation when it became
clear that Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed would not
become Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
“I saw how President Uhuru Kenyatta hurriedly left the African Union
headquarters before the results were announced. It was because he did
not want diplomatic embarrassment but because of foreign relations, he
decided to leave behind his Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu to wish the
new AU Chair Moussa Mahamat the very best in his new posting and
express a willingness to work together toward reform”.
The Kenyan presidential spokesperson, according to the South Sudanese
diplomat, had to put a brave diplomatic face on a bitter loss
considering the effort the delegation headed by the president exerted
during lobbying and before summit during which it had to send envoys
to each and every member state of the African Union for support.
“We pledge to work with him to defend the pan-African agenda of
integration for Africa, as well as democracy, sovereignty and
prosperity for all of its people, said Manoah, spokesman of Kenyan
president Uhuru Kenyatta during the announcement of the result in
favour of the Chadian candidate.
Several sources in Addis Ababa said Faki had the advantage of
previously holding a senior position at the African Union, as had
previously chaired the AU’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council.
Observers went to point to the strong economic and political
cooperation among the countries of the Central and Western regions in
Africa symbolised by use of one currency CFA Franc, the use of French
language, and the fight against terrorism. While the Eastern region is
marred by divisions and political instability with poor relations with
the Southern region or Northern regions.
However, another South Sudanese official disputed the claim of the
split vote, claiming the actual reason for which Kenya failed to win
the vote was that countries like Uganda and Burundi did not support
Kenya’s bid for the post during the final vote.
"I don’t think this allegation is true because I know that our team
cooperated well and tried to rally behind the word of the president.
He pledged his support to Kenyan candidate which we did during the
lobbying. There were countries which we asked to wait for other
opportunities and to stand with the Kenyan government, its delegation
and their president to support their candidate. What I know is that
Uganda and Burundi failed to provide their support to Kenya in the
final vote," said an official who accompanied President Salva Kiir to
African Union summit.
He explained Kenyan candidate Amina Mohamed made it in the first three
rounds of voting which left her and Mohamat standing but ended up
losing to him in the second and final round by three votes with one
abstention: 28-25.
The seventh vote provided the Chadian candidate with the opportunity
to garner the two-thirds majority required to be officially winner and
he got 38 votes after South African Development Community decided to
abandon the race for west and eastern African countries.
(ST)
Comments on the Sudan Tribune website must abide by the following
rules. Contravention of these rules will lead to the user losing their
Sudan Tribune account with immediate effect.
- No inciting violence
- No inappropriate or offensive language
- No racism, tribalism or sectarianism
- No inappropriate or derogatory remarks
- No deviation from the topic of the article
- No advertising, spamming or links
- No incomprehensible comments
Due to the unprecedented amount of racist and offensive language on
the site, Sudan Tribune tries to vet all comments on the site.
There is now also a limit of 400 words per comment. If you want to
express yourself in more detail than this allows, please e-mail your
comment as an article to com...@sudantribune.com
Kind regards,
The Sudan Tribune editorial team.
1 February 09:21, by Bilpam- 2
Thief has failed to get that position.Thanks all other Africans
countries’representatives for voting the thief out.
repondre message
1 February 09:32, by Fair Man
Congratulations for returning home with failures, you Kenyans.
Check your human right records and respect the international law,
particularly your obligations to protect refugees and political
dissidents. Humiliation shall be the treatment of a corrupted country.
The AU could have done harm by letting you take the top Chair of the
continent, when you are mobilizing for ICC withdrawal!
repondre message
1 February 09:59, by Kush Natives
How can Kenyan blamed South Sudan for the failure, if Western,
Central Countries voted for the candidate, except for South Africa?
African leaders must learn a system, where in a world can a single
country win the vote among the majority vote? Kenya must comprehends
that as well, that wasn’t a war, it was a vote! Therefore, South Sudan
had no choice rather then siding with majority. AU isn’t endi
repondre message
1 February 14:04, by koang mi kei
only one thing kenyan know is how to cheat their colleague and
run away with huge sum of money forgetting the cost of theft in their
lifestyle, why do they blame Salvatore Kiir for making them fail that
is game of theft enjoy the money STD give you to deport south Sudan to
the corrupted government shame on you it not be this alone nothing you
shall enjoy in Africa you fool
repondre message
1 February 14:23, by NyanDengdit
Kenyan need cooperation with East Africa countries otherwise
you will keep failing for any position in AU.
repondre message
1 February 18:08, by nuer food lovers
south sudan is the softest target for kenya to scapegoat their
inter-continental diplomatic failure .kenyan had came lower in Africa,
the only country behind her is only south sudan..thief..mawiizii
yootee ya kenya
repondre message
1 February 10:10, by Sadam Kuikoy
@ Coward Kenyan, Why should South Sudan support your candidature
for AU chair thieves? you are best known for being a thieves,
adultery, and corruptions only, we are even against your coward troops
coming back to south Sudan.Let El Shabab dealt with your coward troops
there in Somalia.Useless!
repondre message
1 February 14:08, by Dengda
Kenya lost international trust under leadership of Uhuru Kenyatta,
what a naïve comment from that diplomat who called for the president
to take action against those who didn’t support Kenya Candidate, it
was democratic right process to vote for or against anything, not Juba
where everything go in direction of president or yes H.E, Kenya pull
it troop from international duties, deported dissents
Article
Comments (8)
email Email
print Print
pdfSave
separation
increase
decrease
separation
separation
Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed speaks, during a Reuters interview in
capital Nairobi April 7, 2015.
January 31, 2017 (JUB) -A high level diplomat in South Sudan claimed
on Tuesday that neighbouring Kenya could not get a full support it
requires from the leadership of the country to win the African Union
chair due to difference between the team members.
Kenya’s Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed lost to Chad’s top diplomat
Moussa Faki Mahamat after seven rounds of voting. Burundi, Uganda,
Djibouti, and Sudan supported the second because of their interests or
against Kenya.
According to a South Sudanese diplomat, Juba also had joined these
East African countries that broke their pledges and supported the
Chadian foreign minister of the central region at the expense of the
candidate eastern region.
“It was indeed painful and diplomatic farce that Kenya could not get a
full support from our team, even when the president had given his word
on the candidacy of the Kenyan nominee,” a top diplomat told Sudan
Tribune on Tuesday when asked to comment on why Kenya failed.
“The president needs to take corrective action because reflects
negatively on the image of the country in which he is the chief
diplomat,” he further said.
He said he personally felt the pain and diplomatic humiliation which
Kenyan government and its delegation could not come with it, claiming
there were actual tears shed by the Kenyan delegation when it became
clear that Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed would not
become Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
“I saw how President Uhuru Kenyatta hurriedly left the African Union
headquarters before the results were announced. It was because he did
not want diplomatic embarrassment but because of foreign relations, he
decided to leave behind his Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu to wish the
new AU Chair Moussa Mahamat the very best in his new posting and
express a willingness to work together toward reform”.
The Kenyan presidential spokesperson, according to the South Sudanese
diplomat, had to put a brave diplomatic face on a bitter loss
considering the effort the delegation headed by the president exerted
during lobbying and before summit during which it had to send envoys
to each and every member state of the African Union for support.
“We pledge to work with him to defend the pan-African agenda of
integration for Africa, as well as democracy, sovereignty and
prosperity for all of its people, said Manoah, spokesman of Kenyan
president Uhuru Kenyatta during the announcement of the result in
favour of the Chadian candidate.
Several sources in Addis Ababa said Faki had the advantage of
previously holding a senior position at the African Union, as had
previously chaired the AU’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council.
Observers went to point to the strong economic and political
cooperation among the countries of the Central and Western regions in
Africa symbolised by use of one currency CFA Franc, the use of French
language, and the fight against terrorism. While the Eastern region is
marred by divisions and political instability with poor relations with
the Southern region or Northern regions.
However, another South Sudanese official disputed the claim of the
split vote, claiming the actual reason for which Kenya failed to win
the vote was that countries like Uganda and Burundi did not support
Kenya’s bid for the post during the final vote.
"I don’t think this allegation is true because I know that our team
cooperated well and tried to rally behind the word of the president.
He pledged his support to Kenyan candidate which we did during the
lobbying. There were countries which we asked to wait for other
opportunities and to stand with the Kenyan government, its delegation
and their president to support their candidate. What I know is that
Uganda and Burundi failed to provide their support to Kenya in the
final vote," said an official who accompanied President Salva Kiir to
African Union summit.
He explained Kenyan candidate Amina Mohamed made it in the first three
rounds of voting which left her and Mohamat standing but ended up
losing to him in the second and final round by three votes with one
abstention: 28-25.
The seventh vote provided the Chadian candidate with the opportunity
to garner the two-thirds majority required to be officially winner and
he got 38 votes after South African Development Community decided to
abandon the race for west and eastern African countries.
(ST)
Comments on the Sudan Tribune website must abide by the following
rules. Contravention of these rules will lead to the user losing their
Sudan Tribune account with immediate effect.
- No inciting violence
- No inappropriate or offensive language
- No racism, tribalism or sectarianism
- No inappropriate or derogatory remarks
- No deviation from the topic of the article
- No advertising, spamming or links
- No incomprehensible comments
Due to the unprecedented amount of racist and offensive language on
the site, Sudan Tribune tries to vet all comments on the site.
There is now also a limit of 400 words per comment. If you want to
express yourself in more detail than this allows, please e-mail your
comment as an article to com...@sudantribune.com
Kind regards,
The Sudan Tribune editorial team.
1 February 09:21, by Bilpam- 2
Thief has failed to get that position.Thanks all other Africans
countries’representatives for voting the thief out.
repondre message
1 February 09:32, by Fair Man
Congratulations for returning home with failures, you Kenyans.
Check your human right records and respect the international law,
particularly your obligations to protect refugees and political
dissidents. Humiliation shall be the treatment of a corrupted country.
The AU could have done harm by letting you take the top Chair of the
continent, when you are mobilizing for ICC withdrawal!
repondre message
1 February 09:59, by Kush Natives
How can Kenyan blamed South Sudan for the failure, if Western,
Central Countries voted for the candidate, except for South Africa?
African leaders must learn a system, where in a world can a single
country win the vote among the majority vote? Kenya must comprehends
that as well, that wasn’t a war, it was a vote! Therefore, South Sudan
had no choice rather then siding with majority. AU isn’t endi
repondre message
1 February 14:04, by koang mi kei
only one thing kenyan know is how to cheat their colleague and
run away with huge sum of money forgetting the cost of theft in their
lifestyle, why do they blame Salvatore Kiir for making them fail that
is game of theft enjoy the money STD give you to deport south Sudan to
the corrupted government shame on you it not be this alone nothing you
shall enjoy in Africa you fool
repondre message
1 February 14:23, by NyanDengdit
Kenyan need cooperation with East Africa countries otherwise
you will keep failing for any position in AU.
repondre message
1 February 18:08, by nuer food lovers
south sudan is the softest target for kenya to scapegoat their
inter-continental diplomatic failure .kenyan had came lower in Africa,
the only country behind her is only south sudan..thief..mawiizii
yootee ya kenya
repondre message
1 February 10:10, by Sadam Kuikoy
@ Coward Kenyan, Why should South Sudan support your candidature
for AU chair thieves? you are best known for being a thieves,
adultery, and corruptions only, we are even against your coward troops
coming back to south Sudan.Let El Shabab dealt with your coward troops
there in Somalia.Useless!
repondre message
1 February 14:08, by Dengda
Kenya lost international trust under leadership of Uhuru Kenyatta,
what a naïve comment from that diplomat who called for the president
to take action against those who didn’t support Kenya Candidate, it
was democratic right process to vote for or against anything, not Juba
where everything go in direction of president or yes H.E, Kenya pull
it troop from international duties, deported dissents
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