President of the Republic of Congo named new chairperson of the AU

Contrary to traditional practice, which dictates that the host country of the AU will become the new head, the AU has picked Congo as its next head, not Sudan.

Seven countries voted on the committee, which elected President Denis Sassou-Nguesso of Congo its new chairperson, following Olusegon Obasanjo, president of Nigeria.

Concerns remain regarding the assumption that Sudan will become head of the AU in 2007. Human Rights Watch, among others, objects to their consideration for this position, unless the humanitarian crisis in Darfur is solved.

The Sudanese government supports the election of Sassou-Nguesso:

"It is not a matter of presidency that concerns Sudan. It is the success of the summit...and the success of the African Union leaders," Eljahwi Ibrahim Malik, spokesman for the Sudanese government, said.

Former chairperson Olusegon Obasanjo urged attention to insecurity in the Central African Republic, Somalia and the Ethiopia-Eritrea border issue as impediments to the goals of peace and development.

Find a profile of President Denis Sassou-Nguesso here.

Sassou-Nguesso has faced criticism during his time in power, which ranged from 1979-1992, and again since 1997, when he seized power in a military coup. Remnants of his militia, known as the Ninjas, are still causing problems in parts of the Republic of Congo.

Additionally, he has been criticized for the lack of transparency regarding use of funds from the oil industry, about which Catholic Relief Services has included in their report, Bottom of the Barrel: Africa's Oil Boom and the Poor. Congo-Brazzaville's powerful conference of Catholic Bishops has been a collaborator with the Congo branch of the Publish What You Pay effort, putting pressure on Sassou-Nguesso's government and oil companies with which they work to make public the uses of oil profits and what kind of incentives the companies are paying to the government.