The new African Union Commission chairperson has been urged to place the African elephant crisis on the AU’s agenda.
Chad, one of the Elephant Protection Initiative founder, ascended to the helm of the AU. The Initiative responded positively after Chad’s Foreign minister Moussa Faki Mahamat was successfully elected as the new AU Commission chairman. Mahamat, a former Prime Minister, was chosen by the 54-member agency at a summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 30.
He edged out his closest rival, Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohamed. The EPI was launched by Botswana, Chad, Ethiopia, Gabon and Tanzania, in February 2014. It is an African-led initiative to stop the illegal ivory trade and to secure a future for elephants across the continent. Kenya joined the EPI in July 2015.