Credit: African Union / Rwandan President Paul Kagame hands over the baton to the new Chairperson of the African Union Egypt President  Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Feb. 10, 2019 at the AU’s Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

By Gary Raynaldo   DIPLOMATIC TIMES

The appointment of  Egypt President  Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as the new head of the  African Union is bound to leave many political observers scratching their heads.  On Sunday, the Egyptian leader  officially took over the rotating post of the head of the  AU from Rwanda President Paul Kagame  at the two-day Summit in Ethiopia’s capital city Addis Ababa. On the surface, Sisi’s anointing to the helm of the venerable AU appears to make sense. Egypt earned accolades from the International Monetary Fund this month on its economic reforms and austerity, with the  IMF extending the country a $2 billion loan. Sisi has also played a vital role in the battle against Islamic State in northern Africa. Economic reform and security are two key pillars of the  AU agenda   The AU is also a well-known defender of Human Rights.  However, Sisi is seriously lacking in the human rights department back in his home country Egypt.

Egypt: Al-Sisi Should End Rights Abuses:  Human Rights Watch

“Al-Sisi effectively took power in July 2013 and became president in June 2014. His flagrant disregard for human rights has led the country into its worst rights and political crisis in decades. Rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have documented a host of serious abuses by the police and National Security Agency (NSA), the leading internal security force under the Interior Ministry, including routine and widespread torture of detainees.”     

Human Rights Watch. 

In 2013, the Africa Union suspended Egypt from all activities of the organization after the country’s  first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, was removed from power in a military coup led by then-General Sisi.   The AU viewed Sisi’s action as an unconstitutional change of government. After the suspension, Cairo launched a relentless diplomatic campaign to get back into the AU. It worked, and one year later Egypt was back of good terms with the AU. And now Sisi is crowned head of the AU.

Credi: AFP/ Egyptian TV /  An image grab taken from Egyptian state TV shows Egyptian  Defence Minister Abdelfatah al-Sissi delivering a statement on July 3, 2013 announcing the ousting of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

Egyptian President’s chairmanship must not undermine African Union’s commitment to human rights:   AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL 

“During his time in power President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has demonstrated a shocking contempt for human rights. Under his leadership the country has undergone a catastrophic decline in rights and freedoms,”

Najia Bounaim,  Amnesty International  North Africa Campaigns Director.

“Member states of the African Union must ensure that Egypt’s upcoming chairmanship does not undermine the continental body’s human rights mechanisms,”   Amnesty International declared after Sisi’s elevation to the helm of AU.

 “There are real fears about the potential impact his chairmanship could have on the independence of regional human rights mechanisms and their future engagement with civil society.” – Amnesty International 

 “The Egyptian authorities have carried out mass killings of protesters, widespread enforced disappearances, and sentenced hundreds to death following unfair trials,   Amnesty International.   “The authorities have also orchestrated the worst crackdown on freedom of expression in the country’s recent history.”