' African Union Commission Chairman and former foreign minister of Djibouti Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and other leaders complained about rich countries failing to make progress on the climate finance goal agreed at the UN COP29 summit in Baku last year towards $300bn a year by 2035...

The new AU Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf former foreign minister of Djibouti has welcomed Idriss's appointment and looks keen to wave through Sudan's readmission but insiders say that with the AU Political Affairs Peace and Security Commission headed by top Nigerian diplomat Bankole Adeoye it is unlikely that Youssouf will be able to push it through...

Its former Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf now Chair of the African Union Commission struggles to push the AU into action on regional crises...

Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf held off veteran Kenyan presidential candidate and dealmaker Raila Odinga to be elected as the next chair of the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa on 15 February replacing Chad's Moussa Faki Mahamat (AC Vol 66 No 4 Pan-Africanism is on the ballot)...

In contrast Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and Madagascar's Richard Randriamandrato are low key and from small countries...

Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf is widely regarded as the front-runner having conducted a more discreet but no less diligent campaign than Odinga (AC Vol 65 No 21 Profile: Djibouti's quiet man)...

His main challenger Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf has been garnering wide support (AC Vol 65 No 21 Profile: Djibouti's quiet man)...

If Raila Odinga has name recognition across the continent Mahmoud Ali Youssouf has the contact book...

Despite Kenyan ministers publicly claiming to have at least 26 votes locked up for Raila Odinga many pundits believe that the battle to lead the African Union Commission is a 50/50 fight between the veteran Kenyan opposition leader and Djibouti's foreign minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf...