Olusegun Obasanjo named High Representative for Horn of Africa

Nigeria’s former president Olusegun Obasanjo has been appointed as high representative for the Horn of Africa region by the African Union. A statement on Thursday by Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, said the decision was part of the Union’s drive to promote peace, security, stability and political dialogue all over the Horn of Africa region.

The High Representative is set to intensify engagements with all relevant political actors and stakeholders in the region towards entrenching durable peace and stability within the Horn of Africa.

The Chairperson of the AU Commission highly appreciated Obasanjo for accepting what the AU called a strategic political assignment in the collective interest of the continental bloc.

According to the statement, The former Nigerian leader brings very rich political experience with him, as well as impeccable credentials of keen commitment to the lofty ideals of Pan-Africanism and regional integration and cooperation, as well as a deep knowledge of the current situation in the Horn of Africa.
The new appointment comes as the volatile Horn of Africa region experiences conflict and crises.

An ongoing nine-month old civil war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region has spilled over to other regions of the country.
Obasanjo’s appointment also comes as Somalia and its international partners have failed to curtail a new rise of Al-Shabaab group insurgency.

Born on March 5, 1937, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, South Western Nigeria, Obasanjo served as president of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, from 1999 to 2007.
Mr Obasanjo has also been involved in international mediation efforts in Angola, Burundi, Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa.
In 2008, the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, appointed Mr Obasanjo as his Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region, where he has played an integral part in mediation efforts in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.