Former president of Republic of Ghana  John Dramani Mahama, is the African Union’s Special Envoy to  Somalia (Credit: Wikepedia)

By Gary  Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

The African Union (AU)  has appointment  former President of Ghana John Dramani Mahama, as the High Representative to Somalia.  AUC chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat made the announcement Mahama will be Special Envoy to the war-torn Horn of Africa nation.   Faki Mahamat said:

“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 and  negotiate in good faith to ensure the electoral impasse is resolved.  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.

Somalia Rejects Ex-Ghanaian President As AU Envoy, Blames Kenya Again

Somalia has rejected the appointment of former Ghanaian President John Mahama as African Union’s (AU) special envoy to help mediate its political impasse with Kenya. Somalia argues that the former Head of State has “extensive links” with Kenya, and has written to AU Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat notifying him that Somalia will no longer support Mr Mahama in his new role.    -Afro News.

Mohamed Abdirazak, Somalia’s Foreign and International Cooperation Minister, says the Ghanaian ex-leader is closely associated with the leadership in Kenya, without specifying who in particular. Based on this alone, he says, Mr Mahama cannot be trusted to be impartial and deliver an acceptable solution.

“It is my concern, [that] deploying an envoy in the process now will only confuse the present amicable arrangements and at worse risk the politicisation of the process further than necessary,” he wrote.