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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected president of the African Union at the summit of the continental body in Ethiopia.
The Egyptian leader addressed the summit, saying that he would focus on security on the African continent.
"Our work must continue to improve peace and security in Africa in a comprehensive and sustainable way," said al-Sisi. "Mediation and preventive diplomacy will remain one of the priorities of the African Union."
The new president of the African Union said that "the fight against terrorism requires the identification of those who support and fund it, as well as their collective struggle." Although we are aware of the difficulty and the complexity of the struggle, this fight remains the only appropriate way to eradicate terrorism and eradicate it. "
The rights group Amnesty International has warned that the presidency of Al-Sisi could undermine the human rights mechanisms of the African Union.
"During his tenure, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has shown a shocking disregard for human rights, under his leadership, the country has suffered a catastrophic decline of rights and freedoms," he said. said Najia Bounaim, director of Amnesty Campaigns for North Africa. "There are real fears about the potential impact of his presidency on the independence of regional human rights mechanisms and their future engagement with civil society."
The human rights group said that Egypt since 2015 had orchestrated a sustained political attack against the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the body that aims to monitor the record of African states in the field of human rights. "Dozens of cases alleging serious human rights violations have been filed against Egypt at the ACHPR," the bureau added.
Egyptian leaders have been absent from meetings of the African Union since 1995, year of the badbadination attempt of former leader Hosni Mubarak.
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The election of Al-Sisi ended the one-year presidency of Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Presidents of the African Union have set agenda items to be dealt with during their one year term.
During his tenure, Kagame dramatically challenged the election results in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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